Sapphire Blood
by Nanihoo
Summary: I stared into the mirror, writhing in unimaginable pain, and watched as my blue eyes morphed into the crimson of a killer, the red identical to the blood dripping from the bite mark on my neck... SetoxTwilight
1. Chapter 1: Epitome

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Twilight. That's Kazuki Takahashi and Stephenie Meyer's job. I just shove their characters in leather.**

**Okay, so this was _supposed_ _to _come out last Sunday on Seto's birthday (Happy B-day you dork!), but I seriously fried my brain getting carried away and ended up writing 2 chapters instead of one. So sorry if this first one's a bit slow, gotta get some details down first though and then we can get to the good stuff. I will be posting some pics that inspired and helped me on my profile and hopefully a playlist of music soon enough. I highly recommend getting your hands on the Da Vinci Code soundtrack if you can. **

**Again I don't have a beta so ignorh dah bad grammah. And reviews and critiques are always welcome. Tell me what you think! **

**Alright *rubs hands together* I hope you had a happy birthday Kaiba. For my gift: I'm gonna kill ya! :D *throws bloody confetti***

* * *

_So give me back to Death --  
The Death I never feared  
Except that it deprived of thee --  
And now, by Life deprived,  
In my own Grave I breathe  
And estimate its size --  
Its size is all that Hell can guess --  
And all that Heaven was --_

**Emily Dickinson**

**~*~**

* * *

**__~*~__**

**PREFACE**

This was the end.

One of us would die here. Tonight.

Through narrowed eyes I glared at the monster that had done this to me, who had taken away my life for his own personal gain, without a second thought to mine. Venom pooled in my mouth, my hands bent like talons itching to tear him limb from limb.

I could hear Carlisle and the others still fighting off the henchmen he'd collected. His new '_superior army_' he called them. I was supposed to be apart of his sick delusion, his right hand man, obedient just like the rest.

But there was one thing he didn't count on.

I took orders from _**no one**_.

The vampire in the corner stopped me from using my power, however that wouldn't stop me from reaping my ultimate revenge: His destruction.

Mokuba shuddered at the inevitable scene playing out before him, scared of both the demon in our path… and of me.

Pain and guilt ripped through my chest. I forgot how similar I looked to the enemy. Dark purple bags underlined my little brother's empty eyes, evidence of nonstop nightmares. His face was sallow and he'd lost too much weight.

The guilt turned to anger.

Smooth and lithe, the conceited frame of my _'creator' _taunted me forward.

By my hands I will kill him.

For the agony he put me through,

For destroying my family,

For killing me,

For my little brother.

With one last glance back at my brother, I crouched and then lunged.

**~*~**

* * *

**__~*~__**

**Chapter 1: **_Epitome_

_-_

_"… Tonight's headline, game king turned technology prodigy Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp Industries, announced today its plans for expansion into U.K. This comes no more than two years since Kaiba Corp's shocking takeover of the western seaboard. Producing advances in computer technology, Kaiba Corp has always remained ten steps ahead of the competition, but critics are convinced Seto Kaiba will be stretching their resources thin-_

_… Seto Kaiba was named the world's richest man, beating out Bill Gates and Warren Buffett…-_

_… on our list of most eligible bachelor? It's CEO Seto Kaiba-"_

I turned off the radio, letting my head fill with nothing but the glorious wind, turning my attention to the blazing orange California sky. The golden sand beaches were still lined with lingering swimmers and surfers, and couples enjoying the sunset The heat still warmed my face, my hair blowing wildly in the wind and my tie whipping over my shoulder. I was burning down the highway, my Maserati convertible roof down. Living young, wild and free.

Life was perfect.

Three years ago, when I was planning my company's expansion to L.A., all the headaches and nights with no sleep, everything was worth it. I had more success and prosperity here than anyone could have envisioned, including myself.

Kaiba Corp, my company, had been one of total destruction when my stepfather ran it. Building weapons, lethal machines, selling only to the highest bidder and not giving one damn about those caught in the crossfire. I thank God everyday that that old bastard is dead and burning in hell where he belongs.

I changed everything when I took over ownership. I saw the potential. I saw it's true worth.

I shut down the missile testing sites and the tank assembly lines. The board of directors, critics, even other companies all told me it was corporate suicide, but I knew it was now or never to make my name famous. Everything was changed to be a mass producer in gaming technology. Profit quadrupled in the first year alone.

Everyone thought twice before questioning my actions, especially when I expanded my company to America.

Since then, the fad of gaming changed like every other fad. In one day out the next. Yet keeping up with these trends, mostly trends of my own doing, I'd managed to stay on top. Moving from games, to movies- even the medical field and military had learned to use my technology to help people.

And now I was living the dream. My dream. Taking the world one continent at a time, and Europe was next on my list.

My cell phone rang and I reached up and pressed the speak button on my Bluetooth.

The young annoyed voice of my little brother flooded my ear. "Finally! You picked up! Gah!- And you think I take forever!"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Hello to you to, Mokuba."

"Dinner's almost ready and you're not here," he accused.

Since I'd been so busy he'd made it a point to make sure we had dinner together. It was important to me to. Dead parents and no other family made something normal like simply eating a home cooked meal together strengthen our bond as brothers, as the only family we had left was us. Mokuba had been neglected most of his fifteen years and though I couldn't give him those years back I could sit down and eat the burnt macaroni he made with a smile.

"Sorry, I just have to swing by the office and pick up a couple of things-"

"_Setoooo!_" he whined.

"Ten minutes- fifteen tops. I promise." I amended.

I heard a huff on the other end. "Swear on your deck?"

"Cross my heart and hope to be die," I promised. "I'll even make it up to you, we'll go down to the beach and I'll buy a round of rocky road, okay?"

That cheered him considerably. Ice cream made everything better. "All right, see you in ten."

"Okay. Be careful and don't burn yourself again."

He scoffed. "Aw Seto, I only did that once, let it go already- Oh it's boiling! Love you bro."

"You to, Mokuba." I was still chuckling as I flicked off my phone.

Kaiba Corp. head quarters quickly came into view. It wasn't something easily missed. Standing out like the highest mountain peak the building towered monstrously over all the other skyscrapers. The disappearing sunlight glinted off its glassy sides in all its glory. The corners of my mouth twitched into a prideful smirk.

Directing my car into the underground garage, I nodded at the security guard stationed at the entrance.

"Back so soon, Mr. Kaiba?" he asked after tipping his hat. "Everyone else has already called it a day." The man was white haired and wrinkle faced. He'd be retiring soon if I remembered right.

"No rest for the weary, I suppose." I answered back. He'd caught me in a good mood. Normally I wasn't this talkative.

He laughed lightly, flicking a switch to let me in. "Have a good night, sir."

Inside was noiseless, opposite that of the loud beehive it normally was during the day. People running back in forth, yelling figures, computers humming. Sometimes I couldn't tell if this was a technology inventor and supplier or a stock market trading floor. It was nice to stroll down the hall and not have to a horde full of people firing off questions 24/7.

I was almost to my office when I sensed it.

I hadn't heard anyone; no footsteps and no one joined me in the elevator, but I had one of those hair raising, shiver down your spine feelings. I felt the eyes boring into the back of my head.

I turned around to confront whoever it was… but there was nothing. Silence, not even the whisper of a breath.

"Hello?" I called, feeling like a complete idiot. Being scared wasn't my thing.

No one answered.

Faster than I normally did, I stepped into my office, shutting the door securely behind me. I pressed my back against the flatness momentarily, declaring to myself under my breath that I was being stupid.

Still, I felt safer in the familiarity of this space. The expensive Persian rug, the floor to ceiling mahogany bookshelves, standing like sentries on either side of my massive granite desk; it was like a second home.

Setting my briefcase aside I went about collecting the papers I'd forgotten. I'd left my desk in total chaos but someone had gone out of his or her way to stack everything in neat little piles. Not something I'd normally condone, having the dislike for people messing with my things that I did, but right now I just wanted to get those papers and hightail it home to a homemade dinner and the beach. My eyes searched for the blue folder I needed. Good, they were right where my secretary said they were. Carol had been working extra hard lately, maybe it was time for a raise-

Suddenly an icy breath fluttered against my neck sending goose flesh sprawling into my hairline and I swear I heard a dark chuckle. Instantly my hand went to the back of my neck and I whirled around, jumping at what I saw. My own reflection stared anxiously back at me from the glass wall of windows that lining the one side of my office, blue eyes wide and hair askew. …

A soft breeze hit me almost making me jump again. One window had been left open. I didn't remember ever opening it but didn't give it much thought as I closed it. Carol was always complaining about how stuffy my office was. She'd probably opened it to let in some fresh air and forgotten to close it.

Strange… that hadn't felt like a breeze

I took a deep breath, scolding my newly discovered overactive imagination. Perhaps I should take my doctor seriously when he says my coffee intake is beyond the healthy norm.

I gazed through the glass down at the city below. The Kaiba Corp. building was taller than any of the others, forty floors and with my office at the top. There was no way in other than the door and it was flatly impossible for anyone to scale forty floors just to stare in my window. My logical side seemed to have taken the night off.

I need to relax.

Stuffing the papers under my arm, I picked up my briefcase and ran a hand through my hair in an attempt to return my usual look of self-assurance.

I waited for the feeling to return as I descended down the many floors but it never came. I couldn't stop my eyes from flashing back and forth across the almost empty parkade, my body tense like I expected something to lunge at me.

Definitely going to lay off the caffeine.

I climbed into my car, tossing the papers and my briefcase on the passenger's seat and yanking it into gear to fast I'm sure I left tire marks on the concrete.

"Good night, Mr. Kaiba." The guard barely got the words out as I streaked by without a backwards glance.

I relaxed more once my house came into view. Surrounded by a heavy iron fence interrupted every so often by stone pillars, the Kaiba residence stood with the air of a palace. Trees encompassed it closely guarding it almost. They gave us the golden gift of privacy, where in this town there was very little privacy to be found.

I drove up the long cobblestone driveway, passing a soccer field, a tennis court and a pool- the essential Californian staple for those hot summer days- as I headed into the garage to park. Mokuba was already there, waiting for me.

At fifteen he was only half a foot shorter than me and going through that awkward, gangly phase. He'd lost the softer curves of childhood, his large gray lilac eyes no longer doe-eyed but more narrow and adult looking. He'd also discovered and utilized the full-blown Kaiba attitude, which was combined with the grungy fashion trend that had taken him and his peer's hostage. Donning a black vintage T and a pair of conveniently faded skinny jeans he topped it off with two downright decrepit looking, unlaced Doc Martens and an old flannel shirt left unbuttoned. His unruly black hair was pulled back, his hand brushing though his bangs several times to try and make the locks fall in a certain direction. It made me laugh, remembering how fickle high school could be, especially on the teenage psyche.

"What's so funny?" Mokuba asked, scratching his nose. I noted his blackened fingernails.

"You. I didn't know girls found Sharpie painted nails attractive." I teased and he rolled his eyes as we headed for the kitchen.

"I was bored during science. Mrs. Bender wouldn't stop droning on and on about something or other." He waved his hand half-heartedly in the air, like it wasn't worth mentioning.

"That would explain your mark then, painting your nails instead of paying attention." I scooped myself a bowlful of Kraft dinner, happy to see that he'd gotten creative and added sliced up hotdog pieces. I shoveled a spoonful into my mouth actually enjoying the processed cheese flavor. "Hey, you practically didn't burn it this time, I'm proud of you."

Mokuba sent me a dry look over the table. "Har har. Did you get what you needed at the office?"

"I did. Just a few blueprints I forgot to grab." I paused, eating more and pondering the quietness. Considering that only the two of us lived here our house was usually quiet but it sounded unusually empty tonight. "Where's Domino?" I asked.

"Out back- Oh, speak of the devil."

Of course as soon as I said the name a black and white blur tore through the doggie door and made a beeline for me. He rested his head on my lap, tail still frantically waving, hoping for a scratch and a scrap of food.

I petted his black splattered face, chuckling.

Domino was our pet of exactly two years. Mokuba was depressed and anxious about leaving the town where we'd grown up and moving halfway around the world to a place so different than what we were used to. So I did the most uncharacteristic thing ever: I got him a dog. My first plan had been to get him a puppy but after seeing a late night ASPCA commercial he decided on a rescued dog. Taking him there to choose was one of the hardest things I think he'd had to deal with. Seeing all those animals, I'm sure he would have brought every single one home if I'd let him. Of course when he saw a stray Dalmatian with big brown eyes and lopsided ears I knew he'd made his decision. Mokuba named him Domino after the city we'd left behind.

Mokuba and I chatted over dinner and continued as we put our dishes in the dishwasher. We'd both caved to Domino's whining and let him lick the plates before we put them in. He licked his chops happily before disappearing back outside.

"So Kaiba Corp.'s decided to make it official, huh? The move to Europe, I mean." Mokuba pulled out a bucket of ice cream and I was about to protest when I decided something sweet and comforting was probably needed for this topic.

"When I asked you about it you said it was okay," I said, hedging slightly.

He frowned, jamming a spoon into the vanilla. "I know. I just don't look forward to moving again, is all. We just got settled."

"If you want to stay here longer I can put it off for a year." I didn't like the idea of risking the opportunity but I would do it for my little brother.

Mokuba looked at me, knowing my unspoken thought, the corner of his mouth turning up in a grateful smile.

I flashed a smile back and then bent over to put the ice cream back in the freezer. We'd have more at the beach anyway.

"You could stay here while I go to England." I said, "Dorms are another option." I didn't like that idea either but if he wanted it I would accept it.

He turned away, thinking it over as he dropped his spoon into sink with a clang. Then he spun around, hopping up on the counter and grinning.

"Stay here while you go off to eat bangers and mash? Nah, I could never do that, bro. I go where you go."

That statement, _I go where you go_, as simple as it was, was something only he could say so easily but with such meaning. Mushy sentimentals were never my thing. But he understood what those rare little words meant to me.

I ruffled his mop of a hairstyle affectionately, garnering me an annoyed elbow to the side. I laughed, easily dodging his attack. A few well aimed kidney jabs later it escalated to full blown rough housing, and it didn't stop until I had him pinned to the hardwood and threatened to really mess up his hair before he finally admitted defeat.

Brushing myself off, I caught the time on the stove. "Let's get to the beach before the sun goes down, all right? Go get changed, I'll get Domino."

With a mocking eye roll his hopped down and flew up the stairs, the sound of his heavy boots clunking behind him.

As I picked up his leash from the shelf, I heard the loud, bellowing barking of our Dalmatian turn into frenzy.

"S' probably a squirrel or rabbit or something." Mokuba said, reappearing, this time dressed much more beach appropriate with a t-shirt and a pair board shorts. "Do you want me to go get him?"

"No I got it." I said, sighing.

The screen door hissed as I pushed it aside, shutting it behind me to keep the bugs out. My scuffling footsteps made no noise as I strode off the concrete patio and out down the yard. Domino's barks were mixed with growls and snaps now. I'd never heard him so riled. Suddenly he yipped.

Then, it was silent.

I stopped in my place.

Nothing. Not even a cricket chirp.

I didn't know what to make of the sudden stillness, so cautiously I called for him. "Domino! Here boy!" No response, just the rustling of the trees. I made my voice more authoritative. "Domino, come!" I frowned, worry and confusion trickling into my gut. He'd never disobeyed me before.

"Seto, what's wrong?" Mokuba walked to my side. His face was apprehensive, sensing the uneasy tension in mine.

I put a finger to my lips and he fell silent. Both of us now listened for some sort of hint as to where our dog was. I decided to take the initiative, striding forward. Mokuba clung one handedly to the back of my shirt, a habit he'd had since he was a kid.

I was headed around the garden shed when I smelled it.

Coppery, metallic.

_Blood_.

I turned the corner and recoiled at what I saw. Impulsively I threw out my arm to stop Mokuba. He didn't need to see this.

There Domino was, blood spattering his black and white coat, the crimson getting thicker in patches until it was solid red at his mangled throat.

"What is it, Seto?" Mokuba demanded. I tried to stop him but he forced his way past me. "Where's Dom… ino…" His face went rigid with horror.

"Mokie…" I started, but I froze.

It was that feeling, that burning sensation of being watched, like back at my office. I could feel the eyes return, this time trained on my back. The bushes rustled.

"Mokuba." I gripped his shoulder, tugging him back. "Get inside. Right now."

"We can't just leave him out here!" His entire body was shaking, angry tears in his smoky violet eyes.

"I know, _I know_," I appeased, trying to calm him. "And we won't. But I need you to go inside. _**Now**_."

The feeling intensified. It was getting _closer_. I whipped my head back and forth, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever it was and I all but threw Mokuba over my shoulder and sprinted back to the house, locking the door behind me.

I kept chanting the mantra that this was all in my head, but a feeling in my gut was told me something considerable was brewing that whatever it was following me was something big and something _dangerous_.

**~*~**

An hour later I was talking to Animal Control. Mokuba was curled up on the couch, arms wrapped around his knees. He hadn't spoken or moved since the grim discovery.

I thanked the officer, watching as they left- escorted off the property by a security guard.

The feeling that had me glancing over my shoulder every minute seemed to have lifted, for the moment anyway. That didn't stop me however, from staring out the windows, thinking I'd seen a shadow jump between trees or the blur of an unknown entity.

I sighed. Cleary I was losing it. Maybe it was all those years of sleeping pills, coffee binges, and uppers finally catching up with me.

Mokuba's fetal positioned form didn't move as I sank onto the plush leather of the tawny colored couch.

I didn't know what to say. What were those psychologists always saying? Family of victims needed… closer. That's what he needed, _closer_. Inhaling a deep breath through my nose, I set a hand on his hair and for once he didn't protest.

"They said an animal got him." I said quietly. "Apparently someone's been breaking into the zoo and some of the animals have gone missing. One of them was a cougar, so that might've been it."

It was quiet for a few minutes as he processed my words.

Mokuba sniffled, face buried in his arms. "This sucks."

"Yeah, it does." I agreed.

His body tilted until he was leaning against my shoulder, keeping the same position. "He was my first real friend here."

"I know."

The rest of the night was spent watching some stupid romantic comedy on TV that I mocked to hell and back. And after a while Mokuba cracked a smile, adding his own insult to the clingy protagonist. We polished off the gallon of ice cream, devoured two bags of extra butter popcorn and made enough Nesquick chocolate milk to drown an army.

After the above and beyond cheesy movie ending- that had me seriously worried over the direction of the film industry- the topic delicately returned to the night's unexpected tragedy. Mokuba wanted to bury Domino next to the patch of poppies we had growing near the back of the yard, a place special and private. I agreed and told him I'd have someone over in the morning to dig but he protested that he'd do it. I nodded my head, understanding.

Another forty-five minutes later and I announced that it was time for bed. Mokuba went without much of a fight. I'm pretty sure he was out before his head even touched his pillow.

I headed up to my room, which was right across the hall from Mokuba's. I began pulling off my shirt and going to my closet to find some suitable nightclothes, when out of habit I glanced at the window.

I yelped.

Two scarlet eyes stared straight back at me.

… Or at least I thought there had been. I made the mistake of blinking and when I opened my eyes they had vanished.

I swore under my breath, running a hand through my hair. Stalking over to my phone I called down to the guard station and told them to make an extra, detailed search of the property. I didn't even bother telling them why or thank you, just slamming the plastic back in its cradle.

There was no making sense of it. I ran a hand over my face, dropping down onto the edge of my bed. Maybe I'd finally snapped. But I'd _seen_those eyes. That wasn't a cold gush of air or thinking someone's watching me. _I __**saw**__ them_.

Was I going crazy?

**~*~**

If I really was going crazy I wished my brain would just hurry up and toss my mind out the window and be done with it. Going crazy _slowly_ was worse than the actual _going crazy_ part.

For almost a week, I was distracted, jumpy and absentminded. Any little thing would startle me, making my secretary, Mokuba or whoever else who noticed send me worried glances.

The feeling returned, as I expected it to. Every evening as I sat alone in my office, only disappearing when Carol or any other employee came in. Another time I was in the basement labs overseeing a technology test. Other times were back at the house and even once while I was driving.

And weird things started happening to, like my stuff would go missing. Little things like my sunglasses, an old jacket I kept at my office, photos on my desk. My desk would be immaculately clean to, but whenever I asked Carol if she was the one going on a cleaning blitz she'd always shake her head no and tell me that nobody had been in there but me. It irritated me as much as it startled me.

I didn't see the haunting red eyes again, at least not in reality anyway. I frowned over my computer screen, downing almost half my coffee in one swig as I recalled the nightmare-induced pool of cold sweat I'd woken up in this morning; all night I'd been plagued by the images of two crimson irises peering out at me from total darkness. My memory had outdone itself, retaining every little detail about them, the white around them that seemed too ghostly, the specks of lighter ruby around the pitch-black pupils.

In my dreams I felt a tug in my stomach, like I knew those eyes belonged to a predator that would devour me whole but they were seductive and inviting, full of promises and better things I could only imagine in my wildest dreams. I walked a very narrow line, unsure whether to take a step close to the eyes or run away from them. In the end my curiosity got the better of me and I walked to them, but as I neared the crimson turned to black and two white hands grabbed me while a mouth of inhumanly shaped, sharp teeth tore out my throat then dropped me to the ground beside an equally dead Domino.

That's where I woke up.

I'd had nightmares before, having a stepfather like I did will do that to you, but this one was something else entirely.

Heaving a sigh, I stood up from my desk and headed downstairs. I could hear Mokuba rustling in the kitchen, in search of more ice cream no doubt. I myself stopped in the doorway, leaning my shoulder against the frame.

He moved about, opening a cupboard for a bowl, every once in a while throwing a devastated look at the empty food and water dishes in the corner. He'd been trying to hide it but I knew Domino's death still hurt him.

I needed a way to take his mind off things. I'd remembered our forgotten trip to the beach. That sounded like a good idea.

It took some time, picking through excuses of homework I know he didn't have and a lot of pestering on my part, but soon enough we were in one of my many cars, an Escalade this time, with our surfboards in the back, winding down the road to cove that was known for great waves.

It felt like heaven, having the blazing hot sun on may face and the cool temperature of the water on my legs. I sat on my board, watching as Mokuba attempted to ride a wave but miscalculated and fell over instead. Growing up in Japan had not helped either of our surfing expertise but it was something fun to try. Laughing, Mokuba got back on his board and I teased him about how his too long hair made him look like the hairy uncle from The Adams Family. He tipped me off my board for that. When my head broke the surface we snickered at each other's appearance. Him like Uncle Earl, me like a drowned Q-tip. By the looks of it my distraction was working.

We stayed at the beach for the remainder of the day. I managed to catch some waves myself, Mokuba laughing as my tries ended mostly the same way his did, in failure. I'm pretty sure we both got a little burnt, but together we sat happily in the back of the SUV, exhausted but content as we watched the sun set. It was nice though to get home and have a shower. Smelling like seaweed and salt was not my favorite thing.

I was toweling off my hair when my phone rang and I grabbed it from my pile of clothes, pressing it to my ear.

"Kaiba."

"Sir, the board has requested an emergency meeting. They're asking for you to come down at once." It was Carol.

"Right now?" I asked, both surprised and a little annoyed. I didn't mind coming in on weekends usually but today wasn't the usual.

"Yes, sir."

"For what? Did something happen?"

"I don't know, sir, but they require your presence."

I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling. "Fine I'll be there." I hung up tossing it aside. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something sounded… _off_. For a bubbly woman her voice was strangely monotone.

"Mokuba, I've got to down to the office for a while. Why don't you call one of your friends and have them come over?" I said, grabbing my jacket and keys off the foyer side table.

Mokuba's head peered around the corner, expression teasingly surprised. "What? You're actually _telling_ me to have _people over_? Real _human __**people**_?"

I glared at him flatly "Thanks for the sarcasm, and yes, I don't know how long I'm going to be so having someone here will give you something to do." And it would keep him from being alone in the house.

"Can I have a few over then? There's a semester group project due-"

"Alright, alright. Just no wild house parties, okay? And make sure you lock the doors." I ruffled his hair. "Back in a bit."

"See ya, bro."

I reveled in the purr of my car as I turned the key in the ignition. I made sure Mokuba locked the door and saw him bolt to the nearest phone. I rolled my eyes. The maids might have to come in a day early.

The hot Californian air cooled with the onset of night, no longer stifling but still warm enough to be comfortable. Across the western sky the horizon burned an angry red like it had set the ocean afire.

The commute was short; most people already home for the evening so there was less traffic to contend with. It irritated me more that _I_ should be one of those people.

The elderly security guard wasn't surprised to see me here on a weekend. He tipped his hat and let me in. My car engine's purr doubled in noise, bouncing off the cave-like underground parking garage. With a quick flourish I turned off the ignition, pocketing the keys, and strode off into the elevator, pushing the button to the second highest floor. One half of the elevator was glass, a window I used for the moment to look over the sparkling lights of the city many stories below.

The bell dinged and the silver metal doors opened. I walked out, heading for the boardroom always used for this sort of thing.

But I frowned, noting how Carol wasn't waiting for me like she always had. In fact, it was a ghost town. Only one light was on, illuminating the hallway with its sallow, artificial glow. Something in my nerves jumped, raising a little red flag.

I slowed my determined pace, cushioning my footsteps to make less noise and switching to breathing through my nose.

Not a sound, save the hum of the light. It wasn't like the members of the board; they were loud, boisterous old men who liked anyone and everyone to know they were here conducting highly important business.

I could have heard a pin drop.

Creeping closer, I heard the distinct noise of a chair creak showing some sign of life. I reached out a hand, pushing the heavy mahogany door open and breathed a silent sigh of relief. Before that relief was once again snapped up by tense suspicion.

The entire room was eerily dark and almost empty except for the chair closest to me, which was facing away. Carol's bright bleach blond hair peaked over the back, her tanned hand hanging unmoving over the arm.

I took a deep breath, trapping the air in my lungs as I spun the high backed chair around. Her high-heeled feet dragged against the carpet.

I saw no outward signs of damage, but as I said her name my response was nothing. I brushed aside some of her hair and pressed my fingers to her pulse, afraid of what I'd find. I sighed shortly in relief.

A pulse, she had a pulse.

Pulling out my phone I pressed the numbers for an ambulance, deciding to deal with the absent members later after I saw Carol to the hospital.

"Emergency." Spoke a brisk voice.

"I-"

Suddenly something white blurred from the darkness, snatching my phone and hurled it to the ground, the pieces shattering on impact and sending technology in every direction like mini broken firework.

I whirled around, mouth open to snarl at whoever had done it, when my heart skipped a beat and my blood turned to ice.

It was that feeling.

Only, this time it was coming from every direction.

A dark, gruesome chuckle emanated from the far side of the room, the side still shadowed in darkness.

"Well, well, well. I'm thrilled you could join us, Mr. Seto Kaiba."

* * *

**Dun duun duuuunnnn! They're coming to get you, Kaiba! RUN! Run as fast as those chicken legs can carry you! **

**Sooooo, what did we think...? Did you think Kaiba was too OOC or did he react like you thought he would? Was it too long winded or necessary for all the details? Who wants Mokuba's boots? :D *waves hand in the air* **

**I have never had such a hard time writing a chapter for a story. Seriously, Seto-vamp is harder to deal with than the regular Kaiba :| Next chapter will be a lot more exciting I promise. So stick with me just a little bit longer!**

**Reviewers get a preview of the next chapter B)**


	2. Chapter 2: Destruction

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Twilight.**

**Okay I won't keep you long since I know you just wanna get on with it. Just wanted to say I hope you enjoy reading it, it was a lot of fun to write (Hans Zimmer I love you). However I've never written gore or horror before so this is a comedy writer trying her hand at it and I'm sorry if it sucks. The Twilight gang will be coming in a couple more chapters. I'm probably the only person on the planet who hasn't gone to see New Moon yet (and I won't be for another week. Damnit.) but I'm hoping it'll help inspire me to write a little faster. Again I have no beta so I'm sorry if there's bad grammar or spelling errors, I tried to weed them out the best I could. **

**Alright, I'm done. Go read kiddos! And remember Kaiba-vamp is a lot easier to deal with when he gets reviews!**

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**Chapter 2: **_Destruction_

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"Who's there?!" I snarled demandingly. "Show yourself, coward!"

Several laughs echoed at once. One behind me, the person who I deduced to be my cell phone's destroyer, had a high, bell-like tinkling laugh. She was obviously a female. I focused on my senses to see if I could pinpoint exactly where she stood but the room's acoustics were never the best.

Another was deep and rough with a slight ethnic edge to it. It reminded me of the laughs of those hulking henchmen out of old cartoons.

The last was a light chuckle, amused and friendly like we'd been trusting old comrades for so long my rude greeting was a welcomed custom between the two of us.

My heart rate spiked but I didn't outwardly show it. Showing weakness was the worst thing I could do at this moment.

"There was no need to include another person in this," I said coldly, gesturing to Carol. "I'd rather deal with things head on, not by petty underhanded means."

"Oooh, I like him," crooned the young woman, purring almost like a cat who coveted a new toy. "Impeccable taste as always, Master."

_What?_

Something warm touched the tips of my fingers. My body clenched wondering what it could be and if whatever it is was dangerous. I took a deep breath and forced myself to think logically.

"You're just saying that because you think he's pretty." The giant boomed with laughter over the woman's hissing sneer. He continued, "I do not see what is so special about him, Master. He is too much like toothpick. I could snap him in a second."

What was in reach of me? By my ears it sounded like all three of them where at the other end of the room, two of them still bickering. That left…

_Carol!_

Slowly, so not to attract attention, I closed my hand over hers and squeezed. She squeezed back.

Okay, she was conscious again. Good. Now all we needed was an escape plan.

The one who seemed to be their leader sat at the end of the long table, the creak of a chair giving him away. He was sitting in my chair.

"Now, now, children. We don't need to give your brother such a bad impression. Now, why don't the both of you take the supplies to where they're needed. We'll join you shortly."

"Mr. Kaiba…" Carol whispered. I sent her a look from the corner of my eye telling her to shut up. She didn't listen. "Mr. Kaiba, I'm so sorry, they're…"

"Deal with _that_ would you." Their master brushed off like this was a minor annoyance but an annoyance all the same.

Carol's eyes flashed frantically from me to the darkness and then back again. "Mr. Kaiba, you have to run! It's a trap! You have to run!"

Suddenly something massive and shadowy loomed over the two of us. Like a cobra strike it snatched her up in his grasp. It happened in the blink of an eye. My mind barely processed the movement that had them out the door.

Carol kicked and flailed in his grasp. "RUN, MR. KAIBA! THEY'RE GOING TO KILL YOU! RUN! _**NOOOOO**_!"

Carol screamed as she was dragged around the corner. Her sobbing and pleading disappeared with the shutting of the elevator doors, but even through them I heard one more piercing shriek before everything fell silent once again.

I didn't give it a second thought. The door was open. I ran.

The elevator obviously wasn't a choice so I made straight for the stairs, colliding with the door with such force even the pressure catch couldn't stop it from slamming piercingly off the concrete wall.

I flew down the staircases, only bothering one or two steps each and skipping the rest. Every few seconds I tossed up a glance to see if I was being followed, and I listened over my own frantic steps and panting breaths for any hint I wasn't alone.

My mind tried to play catch up with my instincts.

If I could just get to a safe place with a phone I could call the police. But that left one problem. Carol.

They were taking her somewhere, probably to kill her or dump the body. I wasn't particularly found of her but I refused to have her blood on my hands.

I slid to a stop at the door that opened onto the main floor, still panting and carefully peered through the thick glass window. I pushed my body against the corner between the door and the wall, able to see out but unable to be seen.

From the angle I could only distinguish a sliver of the lobby but I had full view of the elevator.

Bloody smears shaped like handprints spattered the doors and whatever ledges or doorframes Carol could get her hands on. I smirked slightly. She was sure giving him one hell of a time.

I waited a moment until my breathing steadied, and then, very carefully, opened the door. It hissed shut behind me with a click too loud for my liking. I held still for the length of another two breaths before creeping forward.

The Kaiba Corp. lobby was sinisterly quiet. One of the carpets was rolled up and a couch in the waiting area looked as though someone had gone at it with a sledgehammer. I shoved my observations aside. I would deal with them later. Right now I had more important matters at hand.

Staying low, I managed to make my way to the receptionist's desk. I was relieved for the cover the wooden cubicle supplied.

The disturbingly annoying picture of some male celebrity grinned back at me with a cheesy megawatt smile until I tapped the touch pad and he thankfully disappeared. They'd left their computer on. I never been so happy to see one of my rules disobeyed.

In an instant my hands were on the keyboard my fingers flying over the keys. The screen quickly lit up with several streams of videos. Several showed from different angels the alleyway to the side of Kaiba Corp. and a sleek black car with the trunk open. I stabbed the permanent record button.

Through the grey of the screen I saw the big ogre of a man toss a thankfully still very much alive Carol into the trunk of the sleek black car. I also saw that she was not the only one in there.

The trunk was filled with people; four or five maybe, all crammed together side by side. The man was joined by a petite little figure, possibly the woman. She was tiny, probably not even up to my shoulders. It irked me that my nerves made me so frightened of her. She must have said something for the man threw back his head in laughter before slamming the trunk lid shut. They both got in, him on the drivers side, her in the passengers. Not that I figured I'd be able to see in it at night but I noticed the windows were tinted much darker than normal. The vanished behind the black.

My jaw flexed.

Who did these bastards think they were?!

Pressing a few more keys I switched to the interior cameras, having the advantage of seeing everything inside Kaiba Corp. at the tap of a finger.

… Or at least, I should have.

My breath hissed out a curse between my teeth. Again and again I pressed in the codes but the screen remained black. I switched to the exterior again. They still worked.

Damn! They'd sabotaged the interior circuit. It was the only explanation! My stomach dropped. If they had the brains to get that then-

I yanked up the phone, pressing it to my ear. There was no dial tone.

"_Shit!_"

These bastards were prepared.

There went my advantage and my lifeline.

And I'd only seen the two, which meant there was at least one other still unaccounted for. Now that I couldn't see where this third was the odds were not in my favour. I was running blind.

Suddenly my ears picked up an unwanted sound. From the stairs the sound of footsteps clipped slow and deliberate, and getting _closer_.

My options were sparse. Option 1, I could lock myself down in the basement labs. The phones there were on a separate line and there was a safety room made with only the toughest measures.

But if the phones didn't work I would be trapping myself like a rat. All the cards would be in their hands.

I would not put myself willingly into that situation.

The alternative was to make a break for the garage and my car. It gave me an open end, the ability to move freely. From the parkade to the police station would be simple. The only trick would be getting downstairs.

Closer and closer the steps came though they never increased in speed or rushed.

My eyes locked onto the elevator.

It was now or never.

I flew towards the metal doors ramming the button, trying to ignore the blood.

The footsteps were at the ground floor now.

"_Come on. Come on!_" I hissed.

With a betraying ding the elevator opened and I forced myself in before the doors could even fully part.

Exactly as I pressed the close button the stairwell door opened. I tapped the button furiously like that would make the doors close faster. Just before they did, I saw a glimpse of black turn towards me.

My whole body sagged with relief as I felt the elevator sink downwards. For now I was safe. And when I got to my car I would be even safer.

I expanded my lungs, hoping to flush out the overabundance of adrenaline pumping through my system. I got my keys out, ready to go as soon as the doors released me. God, Mokuba was not going to believe the night I've had.

_Ding!_

I took another deep breath.

My eyes easily found my car, locking onto it as my target destination. I strode towards it, my feet hitting the ground four times before everything went dark.

The power cut.

I was blind. I saw nothing but the bursting red spots on the back of my eyelids every time I blinked. My own breath echoed embarrassingly loud against the perpetual darkness. I tried to quiet it by instinct, attempting to hear whoever else was in here with me.

A dark chuckle ghosted from the shadows.

No! How did he get down here so fast?!

The impulse to flee from danger overrode my mind's logical idea to wait for my eyes to adjust. By memory I knew the exit was directly straight and to the left of the door behind me. My feet responded before my brain could, sending me hurtling forward. I was running full force, eyes wide in hopes of catching any sparkle of light, and praying to God that I didn't run into any pillars.

"You can't run and you can't hide…" The voice hissed behind me, so close I felt the cold breath used to speak it graze against my neck. "There's no escaping fate, Seto."

Those words broke my concentration. I yelled in shock and terror as my shins hit something irregular, sending me to the ground. I threw out my hands to brace my fall, anticipating the rough concrete but not the warm stickiness.

The chuckling stopped, like someone had pressed the stop button on a recording. A deep inhaling sigh took its place.

Suddenly the safety lights turned on. My eyes stung at the sudden illumination, though the lights were dimmer than the regular and only lit a small pool of the garage. My eyes instantly dropped to see what I'd tripped on. I gagged with horror.

It was the elderly security guard.

His head was twisted in an unnatural way, the flesh of his neck shredded to ribbons and a pool of blood surrounding the wound. My stomach revolted at the sight of his kind grey eyes wide and mouth open in the most gut wrenching expression of fear I'd ever seen. Then I did vomit when I saw it was his blood I'd landed in. The crimson liquid covered my knees and thighs, my chest and my arms. My hands looked as if I'd dipped them in a bucket of ominous red ink.

I scrambled back from the body, not realizing I was leaving the safety of the lights.

"Seto, Seto, Seto." The voice chastised. "Now look at what you've done to yourself."

"How do you know my name?" I demanded, my eyes searching the inky blackness for its owner.

Another laugh, however now it sounded strained.

"I know a lot about you. Your habits, your career, your family." I shuddered at this new revelation. The voice continued on, sounding closer than before. "I apologize for your poor Dalmatian, I assure you that was a poor mistake on my part."

"You've been _stalking _me?" I asked the nothingness. Bile rose in my throat at the mention of Domino. I thought a cougar had gotten him, now I knew it had been something far worse.

"I would look at it more like protecting a vital investment. You of all people would understand that, wouldn't you?"

I jerked my head to the side, aiming from where the voice had spoken.

My heart leapt in my chest.

In the distance, about twenty feet, was my car, the safety lights reflecting off the shine. I stretched out my hands, pressing my palms against the concrete. They were still sticky, coated with congealing blood. My back straightened and my knees bent slowly as I prepared to launch myself towards my escape.

"If you already know my name, tell me what is yours?" I said, hoping to distract them long enough.

Two footsteps, directly to my left, stopped. "Krios." The voice said clearly, friendly almost but the undertone was frigid. "Don't do it, Seto." The voice warned. "It won't work."

Seeing as I was caught, I threw myself in the direction of my car with all the power I could muster. My heart pounded in my throat. My limbs pumped with more speed than I'd ever pushed my body.

I was going to make it.

Three and a half steps. That's how far I got, before something hard as stone collided with my back.

My body hurtled to the ground, coughing and sputtering as I fought to replenish my oxygen deprived lungs. I only stayed that way for a couple of seconds, forcing myself to get to my knees for a second attempt.

But then like something out of a horror movie, two cadaverous hands shot from the darkness, locking onto my ankles and dragging me back.

My hands clawed at the concrete for a hold, for a weapon, for anything!

There was nothing there- Wait!

The cool touch of the security guard's gun grazed my fingers and I snatched it up, relief momentarily bursting in my chest. But this was far from over. I twisted my body, managing to see my attacker.

I was not prepared for what I saw.

It was a contradiction of images. He was man, broad shouldered and lean, taller than me as too- possibly by a few inches. He had long, dark hair, pulled back with meticulously sectioned off pieces to frame his long narrow face. He donned an expensive looking black suit as well.

That was were his human features ended No matter how human he looked there was something feral to him, predatory and animalistic.

Even in the darkness his skin was white, an unearthly pale that better belonged to a dead body. His mouth split into a wide gruesome smile that sent shivers down my spine. His teeth glistened, the ends slightly pointed… like a monster's.

When my eyes reached his I knew that's what I was facing.

They were blood red.

Monster eyes.

My fight or flight response kicked into overdrive. I kicked and flailed but struggling gave me no edge. He didn't have to exert himself into controlling my legs. His grip didn't lesson at all, in fact the fingers around my ankles tightened by a tenfold. I felt more than heard the sickening snap of the bone. I muffled my scream in the cloth of my jacket, pinching my eyes shut like that would beat back the pain.

Seeing as I wasn't about to go anywhere, the hands released me. I panted, shivering as the pain my leg struck upwards in hot angry waves.

"Seto Kaiba." The man said smoothly, almost proudly. "You have not the faintest idea how long I've been waiting for this night."

A long cold finger ran down my jaw, moving under my chin and forcefully raising my head. I opened my eyes, staring him right in the face. He was kneeling on one knee in front of me. I tried to jerk my head away but her caught my chin again, this time between his index finger and thumb, squeezing hard enough to cause pain, but I refused to flinch.

He smirked at my efforts. "So strong willed, even in all the adversity that you've faced…" He studied my face thoughtfully like one did a purebred horse. "Yes, you will be a powerful one, won't you? I can taste the possibilities…"

"Fuck you!" I snarled through clenched teeth. I refused to let him hear the panic in my voice.

"Now, now, Seto." He chastised lightly. "There's no reason to talk to me like that. We're both civilized individuals."

I snorted, glaring. "_Civilized?_"

The man- or whatever he was- tsked at my tone. "Really, Seto, some maturity would be nice."

I continued to glare.

He sighed. "Fine then, have it your way. However, soon enough you'll see that together we have a purpose. And you play a very important part. So why don't we try to get along, hmm?"

_Purpose? Part?_

He stood, walking to something in the darkness. I heard a trunk door open before he returned.

"If you're just here to kill me you can just get it over with!" I spat, uncertain if he was going to kill me here or take me somewhere else to finish the job. "I won't beg not matter what you do to me!"

The creature chuckled, amused. "I'm not here to kill you, Seto, not in that sense anyway." He chuckled again like there was an inside joke and I'd missed it.

"Then what do you want with me?" I demanded, panting for air. My lungs couldn't seem to get enough air and my heart pounded like it wanted to fly from chest. "I'm not scared of you!"

The pain in my ankle continued to burn and I could feel my jaw beginning to swell. Cold sweat plastered my hair to my face.

"Oh I know you are, but putting up a fearless front is endearing." Once again I felt the cold hand take hold of my chin. "Seto Kaiba," he spoke my name with great authority and reverence, slowly tilting my head to the side. I could feel his icy breath against my exposed neck. "On this day you will become the part of a new age. An army of brethren destined to be rulers of this world. Higher than the highest, kings above all. Together with our comrades we will usher in a new era. I have seen it."

My shivers turned to tremors, which I tried to hide. Whatever this guy was he was clearly not stable. Involuntarily my hands clenched into fists- wait. I felt the smooth surface of the gun still grasped with a death grip in my hand. If I shot him in the right place maybe that would end this, or at the very worst buy me enough time to get to my car and get the hell out of here.

It was now or never.

"An army huh? Thanks but no thanks!" I swung the gun until it was on par with his chest and pulled the trigger.

The bang was deafening.

My eardrums throbbed and for a long moment all I could hear was the ringing and my own shocked breaths. I still had the gun pointed at the exact same spot when my brain finally processed what just happened… or what _should have_ happened.

He hadn't moved.

Blood _should have_ spattered, bodies _should have_ fallen, life _should have_ ended. For a blow that would have killed any normal human being he didn't so much as flinch. He didn't scream or cough or even move. Instead I saw his jaw flex, his face banishing all emotions. All except one.

Anger.

Suddenly his hand was at my throat, literally lifting me off the ground and slamming me so hard into wall my head bashed into the concrete with yet another crack. I could feel the warm stickiness of my blood trickle down my neck, my vision blurring. I choked, clawing at the hand cutting off my air.

Though my vision was blurred I still saw the vivid scarlet eyes.

Eyes that locked onto mine.

Eyes that turned black.

He dragged me down a little lower, leaving a streak of my blood against the grey. I felt his nose drag across my throat, stopping directly above my wildly out of control pulse. "I never said anything about you having a choice, Seto Kaiba."

His teeth broke the skin and my whole world was swallowed by agony.

Cold hands released me and my body slumped to the floor like a dead weight. Every muscle in my body jerked, twitching uncontrollably like my muscles didn't know what to make of the flash of fire. My hands snapped to the wound, shaking with pain.

"What the fuck did you do to me?!" I gasped through my gritted teeth.

The sharp, cutting pain had literally winded me, leaving me raggedly heaving for air. It took everything I had not to dissolve into a mess of writing and screaming.

His hand fisted unyieldingly in my hair and I felt my head forced to tilt the other way. My eyes shot open, comprehending what he planned to do to the other side of my throat. I struggled, using the concrete wall as a platform to push him away. I might as well have been pushing against a granite boulder.

"I'm giving you new life." He said. And then he bit me again.

This time I did yell, the intensity of the burning hell I was trapped in doubling in strength.

Something wasn't right, I knew bites would hurt but not like this. Never like this. It was as if someone was pumping acid through my veins, roasting me alive from the inside out. And the pain only continued to rise in pitch.

I gave up on coordinated attacks, settling instead for pushing and kicking whatever limbs were free, clinging to some faint hope that I'd find a weakness in his inhuman suit of armour. But no matter what I did or how hard I tried I could not escape his draconian constraint on my distorted frame.

I heard a tearing sound and realized he was peeling away the sleeve of my thick leather jacket as easily as someone did an orange rind.

He jammed his shoulder against my chest, effectively trapping me against the wall while his hands straightened my arm so the inside crease was facing up. He lifted it to his mouth like I was a piece of chicken then bit again. My agonized roar, choked off by the agony, came out as mangled half cry.

He wasn't as careful with the other. I felt his teeth mash the bone. I couldn't even try to push him off. My bloody, blistering arm I clutched to my to my side. Yet it was a moot point when he stretched out my arms again, this time sinking into my wrists.

I felt nothing but the fire consuming me. My jagged rasping breath was too hot for my lips. The inside of my skull felt as though it would explode, far, far worse than any migraine I'd ever experienced, and my vision went white, flickering only bits and pieces of reality through my retinas.

There were no words to describe how excruciating this torture really was. Other than being dropped in a vat of molten metal I couldn't think of a just equivalent. There was no way someone could go through this and recover. I began to process the fact that I wouldn't survive this. I was going to die. That realization brought both relief and sorrow. Relief that soon enough this would be over and the pain would stop. Sorrow for the little brother I would leave behind.

Hot tears involuntarily fled from the corners of my eyes before I could stop them and landed on my blood-smeared clothes as I remembered our happy day at the beach.

He was only fifteen and would have nobody left.

Guilt flashed in my mind. Would he hear of my gruesome end, see bloody pictures of my remains on the 6 o'clock news? Would anyone stay with him, protect him as my murder inevitably turned into media circus? And would he lose sleep wondering if the same bloodthirsty savage would come after him in the night?

The frantic beating of my heart sputtered.

Would they catch this monster that was doing this to me?

Two more stings gashed into my ankles, the one in my broken ankle horribly worse, but I didn't really care anymore. All of my senses were ravaged in a white-hot haze. I barely registered the feeling of being moved from the blood-soaked concrete to the scratchy interior of a car trunk. I didn't even notice when he shut the door.

In my world I didn't see the blackness.

All I saw were flames.

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**So what did you think? Suspenseful enough? I know Kaiba in the 4kids anime can sit there and play a card game completely calm while the world ends *cough*Egypt*cough* but I thought I'd try my hand at making him actually human and not a robot. Did you think that's how he would have reacted? And who's this "Krios" guy? Anybody willing to take a guess at where they are taking him? **

**Thank you so much for reading! Now go click that green button right there and leave a review... come on, you know you want to...**


	3. Chapter 3: Afterlife

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Twilight**

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**Chapter 3: **_Afterlife_

_"Alone, alone, all all alone, Alone on a wide wide sea! And never a saint took pity on My soul in agony."_

–English poet and philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

They say your life flashes before your eyes when you're about to die; why my mind chose that for me to remember that piece from my high school literature class in my final moments I'll never understand.

Sucking in a ragged, pain-ridden breath, head jerked side from side. There was no end to the pain. At first I thought I was in hell, but every now and again I could hear the whispers of voices discussing my state, feel a cool cloth cleaning the mess of dried blood from my skin. Never could I have imagined an agony this immense in cruelty.

I thrashed and writhed, screamed and howled. Every part of me was on fire. I could open my eyes and see nothing. I would hold my breath and wait for just one second of relief. I should pray for death to have mercy. But I as much as I fought my mind could not find its pain-shattered pieces. It was as if both my mind and body didn't understand how to deal with what I was experiencing.

Hours, years, or millennia could have passed. I knew no difference. The veins in my limbs felt seared shut, twitching beneath my skin. The ankle that was broken weaved back together in a scorching flash of heat. My skull healed, the bone moving with a disgusting sensation. And it's strange, but I could feel every injury my body had ever tolerated _heal._ My weakening retinas, a muscle in my hand where I'd been careless with a screwdriver, and terrifyingly enough, the marks my stepfather had left behind on my flesh and bone. I felt like one of those Hollywood horror movie characters that transforms into a werewolf or a giant bat, my muscles and bones, even my flesh, crawling and contorting into a new formation. The fire swirled like a hurricane through every cell within me, driving to and fro, burning and reforming as it went.

Slowly I began to feel the torture leave my hands and feet. It retreated to my knees and elbows, staying at strength, but seeming to gather in my core, concentrating around my heart.

In response my heart beat hysterically. It smashed against my ribs. I gasped for breath to aid it but suddenly I comprehended that oxygen no longer helped. Involuntarily my back arched off whatever it was I was laid out on, my spasming heart clenching faster and faster.

"It won't be long now," said a voice. "A few more minutes."

All the fire concentrated on my heart now and I felt like an ant under a magnified glass on a hot July noon. I cried out, jerking at my hands to clutch at my chest, but something held them back. There was a faint jingle of metal. My feet made the same noise as I kicked them.

Suddenly my heart's fierce gallop stumbled.

This was it.

I was going to die.

It gave three more faint _thum-thump's_, each slower and weaker than the last. And then, with one final sickening palpitation it stopped all together.

I waited for the tunnel with the white light, and angel or the fires of hell, whatever was going to take me to the next life.

Nothing happened.

Something moved and a swirl of complex smells washed over me, sickly sweet and strange. It came from everywhere, but there was a variation among them. Each was individual and in a matter of seconds I could pinpoint almost exactly what direction each came from and approximately how far from me they were.

"Open your eyes, Seto. The transformation's over."

_That voice. I remembered that voice. _

I opened my eyes. The reaction was instant and involuntary. In a blur I launched from whatever I was laying on, snapping the chains that bound me as if they were no more than unravelling threads, and somehow ended up back against the wall on the other side of the very large room, my teeth bared and hissing like an animal. I could see everything crystal clear- no, more than crystal clear. From the smallest spec of dust to unnamed colours reflecting in the iridescent lighting, it was if I had traded in my need for glasses for the eyes of a hawk. And that wasn't all. I could hear the tiniest hint of a noise. The sound of cars and the radios playing in them, though I was clearly underground given the room's lack of windows, the smallest _snick_ of an eye blinking, footsteps of people walking blissfully unaware outside, the group of pale beings watching me and their scoffs and snickers-

I pinched my eyes shut, holding my breath and covering my ears. It was too much. Senses overload. The newly acquired super senses overwhelmed me, let alone their sudden and unknown origins. But all the sights and smells and … _sounds_…

Slowly I opened my eyes once again, however this time they flashed to a certain direction. Every part of me became automatically and unstoppably locked onto the source of the captivating wet _'thum-thump'_ sound.

Beside the standing group of ten or so, there was another- this one sitting and of only five, three men and two women, all of them bound, gagged and sobbing. I faintly recognized one of them, but I couldn't seem to focus on their face. I couldn't take my eyes off the pulses pounding rapidly in the arteries of their necks.

Suddenly my swallow was excruciatingly dry. I coughed and heaved but that only made it worse. I wanted to run to them, tear out their throats and take every drop of their lifeblood if only to parch the burning. Just as thought passed through my mind, I found myself standing not even a foot from the group of much more fragile looking figures, and as I leaned in closer the vile image of me sinking my teeth into their flesh turned even darker. The blood I craved… It smelled _delicious_.

A hand came to my shoulder. "You must be thirsty. Go ahead, Seto, we brought them just for you."

The group gave muffled cries and whimpers. One in particular made no noise, she simply stared up at me, eyes pink with crying, pleading silently from beneath her dirt smeared blond hair.

_I knew her…_

It was like everything before now, before I opened my eyes to this horror, was a fuzzy mess of memories hidden behind a thick veil of fog. I remembered my company… a rival I grudgingly respected… a large house, with a pool… a black hair boy… my little brother… _Mokuba_… my dog… running-… no, _escaping_ from something in my office… the darkness of the parking garage… I remembered the face of the murdered security guard… I remembered my ankle being broken and the two red eyes grinning at me as he-

I whipped my head to the side, coming face to face with the creature I'd prayed was a nightmare. Krios smiled pleasantly back, his dead white hand squeezing my shoulder gently – if not with an undertone of warning- very much real and very much here.

"Go on now," he urged, pushing me closer to the woman- the woman whose name was-

"C…Carol?" I blanched at the sound of my own voice. No longer was it rough around the edges but smooth and polished like a perfectly played note on a cello. She flinched at it to, but eagerly nodded her head, muffling through her gag something that sounded like my name. The sensation of wanting to feed on her grew stronger the closer I got. I tried to ignore it but it was impossible.

I could no longer control myself. What had they done to me?

On my heel I made a ninety-degree turn, this new craving not allowing me to walk away but I paced in front of them instead moving no closer but no farther. I reminded myself of the two good years she'd worked as my… my secretary, yes, that's it. She had two nieces she loved to talk about whenever she could and a husband of eighteen years that she called her white knight. I tried to grasp every human memory of her, to prove she was not just a meal. But my eyes never left the pulse beating frantically in Carol's neck.

Krios made a noise of shock and then irritation. "You are a newborn, Seto, you must feed. Now go on!"

I tried to distract myself. "A newborn what?" My pace grew quicker.

I heard Krios chuckle like a parent would to a confused child. "Isn't it obvious? I told you, I've made you into the most feared and envied being ever to exist." His voice melded into a tone of great reverence and not just a little arrogance. "You should be proud, Seto, not many have the chance to join our prestigious little… club, shall I call it?" More snorts and smug laughs came from his merry band of "club" members. One of them sniggered and whispered none too quiet. "Yeah, we can be _Club Dead_."

"Dead?" I hissed. I halted in my pacing.

The large one, I remembered as somewhat familiar, stepped forward crossing his massive arms with a dry tilt of his head. "What did you think you were? Do you feel your heart beat? Do you feel the need for oxygen?"

I blinked stupidly at him, raising a hand to my chest. No heartbeat… I felt nothing. There was no sound, no pounding against my ribs. In fact, none of them did. Not Krios or the big burly one. No one had the life sustaining beat necessary to live… no one, but the more humanistic group tied on the floor. There was a tiny shock over the disturbing ability to hear people's heartbeats as loud and as clear of hearing them on a big speaker, but the startling revelation was drowned out by the undeniable horror that I indeed had no beating heart. Oxygen was the same. I neither had nor needed any. My body was on autopilot, doing everything in its power to preserve my life. Instinct told me the breathing was for scents only. Every new smell my brain catalogued and filed away, tagging an ID to each one. As I exhaled I could taste the air. It held no difference, carrying the exact same levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide as when I'd inhaled.

In a flash I had the front of Krios's suit fisted in my hands. "_What did you do to me_?"

The others moved forward to defend their leader, but Krios waved them away almost casually. "I gave you new life, Seto. One you will come to appreciate and thank me for. It's a gift all human's wish for but only a select few gain the splendour of." He paused as if waiting for me to speak. I didn't and he continued, "_Immortality_, Seto! Everlasting life!"

"I don't care what you think _"gave"_ me!" I sneered. "I asked what you did to me! Why don't I have a heartbeat? Why do I want to-" I gritted my teeth, sucking air through them in a vanishing hope that would stop the burning need for blood- "Why do I want to kill them?"

Carol and the trapped others sobbed louder, some squirming to somehow break free, others had given up and resigned themselves to praying for death to come quick and painless.

Krios laughed lightly, shaking his head apparently at my own stupidity. He patted my hands, not caring that my fingers were tearing through the expensive material as if it were nothing but rice paper. "It's understandable, you've just awoken into another world," he said. "You're confused and, what do humans say, out of the loop? Don't worry, after you feed we'll talk."

Humans. He'd called them _humans_, like they were another species altogether.

The idea was preposterous, that I was now a different species, no longer human. That was impossible.

_That was simply __**impossible**__._

But… what if it was true… what if I really wasn't human anymore. If I wasn't human… then what am I?

Krios mistook my silence for hesitation, his temper finally bubbling to show on the surface. "Gunnar!"

The monstrosity called Gunnar, moved forward gracefully despite his size, stepping quickly to behind Carol.

In 0.47 seconds I understood what he was about to do. My eyes widened. His hands took her jaw. I lunged forward. Krios grabbed my arm. Gunnar twisted.

"NO!" I yelled. But it was too late. A revolting crack and Carol's lifeless body slumped over; her head twisted all the way around enough to tear the skin.

Several things happened at once.

Everyone inhaled, even Krios. I did automatically and it was as if I had swallowed both acid and two hundred year old cognac all in one breath. My throat burned like a blowtorch. Everything in my vision went black, save for the ghastly river of blood still spouting from the torn wound. I wanted to devour her. I leaned in.

But, in the very back recessed of my mind, I could hear a small voice screaming, screaming at me to stop. This… _voice_ pulled up the pictures of Carol's family, two little curly blond nieces grinning and holding hands. Then, before my mind's eye, the two little girls morphed into a dark haired teen. His neck was soaked with blood and his head twisted obscenely. He stretched out one arm towards me.

_"Brother…help…"_

I jerked back so fast Krios stumbled in surprise. He quickly gained his balance. "Seto, you must drink-"

"I don't want them." I swung around looking for an escape.

Krios glared at me, but I could easily decipher the look of shock in his voice. "Yes. You do."

"No," I said, holding my ground.

His jaw clenched, displaying his high narrow cheekbones even more. From the corner of my eye I saw he was having a difficult time swallowing my disobedience. He wasn't used his orders being resisted.

Suddenly he grabbed the back of my head. "You _**will**_ drink!" his words came out as an animalistic snarl.

Krios's hand fisted painfully in my hair, forcing me to double over, closer to the spoils of death. My mind was one tracked. I could sense everything else going on in the room, every movement, every breath carefully noted. But my entire world consisted of sinking my teeth into that throat. I licked my lips, anticipating. Liquid pooled in my mouth and no matter how I tried to swallow it back it kept returning.

_My mouth was watering at the sight of a dead human being._

The remaining people screamed and tried to jostle away from me, now understanding their fate.

_No! These are human lives! I will not-_

"You will obey me, Seto!"

I clenched my teeth. No one orders me to do anything.

In a millisecond, I reached back and grabbed Krios's wrist. He made a noise of surprise but that was all he could do as I pulled, swinging him like a bat, his body colliding with makeshift medical table they'd had me on. I let go and he went flying across the room, smashing into the cupboards lining the wall. The wood buckled, spilling its contents loudly onto the floor in a clash of metal clings. I froze.

I recognized those items. They were my tools… Tools I kept in my-

My lab. I was in my lab, and by the looks of it, the part of my lab only I had access to. But how was that possible? I was the only one with the key-

I pressed a hand to my chest. My locket was missing. I ignored for the moment the regret of losing such a valuable possession, focusing instead on my new home court advantage.

The others helped Krios up, snarling and hissing, teeth bared at me as he straightened his suit. I didn't bother myself with them, locking my eyes onto my only real adversary.

Krios smoothed down his tie. "Leave us."

"But master-"

"LEAVE!" Krios roared.

The group ducked and shrunk back, fearful of his rage. I smirked a little. Cowards.

Once the door closed and the sounds of footsteps retreated, Krios took to sauntering a wide, languorous circle around the room. I waited, motionless.

_A few more steps…_

"Seto, let me make one thing clear," he hissed tensely, all patience evaporated. "This…" –he gestured airily with his hand, the other going behind his back- "_rebellion_ is understandable for your, for lack of a better word, _surprise_ upon waking to my world. I will tolerate it. For now." I didn't move at the threat, or when I felt his breath brush my neck.

In flashes I remembered him sinking his teeth into me in that exact area. The pain. The horror. My hope for death to come quickly.

I clamped my teeth tightly shut. I had the sudden urge to tear something apart.

"You will, however," Krios purred, stopping exactly where I wanted him, "learn obedience. I am your master now."  
His last step sealed his fate.

"You're sadly mistaken," I sneered, "I have no master."

Krios choked a noise of surprise as my hand encompassed his throat. I swung him like before, but this time using the full leverage of my sudden Hulk like strength. His body sailed through the air, bashing into a closet so hard the metal door crumpled like tinfoil. On impact something fell from his jacket pocket.

It was my locket.

I snatched it from the floor and ran to what looked like a normal stretch of wall. I could hear Krios regaining his footing. I swiped my locked under the lip of a nearby counter and the wall sprang to life. I ducked inside the corridor and shut the door just as Krios slammed into the metal.

"NO!" he roared. "Gunner! Everyone back here! NOW!" He punched the metal and it buckled. I didn't have much time.

The tunnel like halls wound this way and that, black as pitch. This of course being how I'd designed them. Of course I'd never anticipated _this_ scenario taking place but I had prepared lest someone get this far into my lab. Strangely in this unseeable darkness I could do just that, _see_. I could be wearing night vision goggles for all the details I saw. I ran my hand down another wall, my fingers touching a key scanner. I used my locket and this door opened just as I heard the last squeal in defeat.

As I hazily remembered, this led to a staircase descending downwards until it bottomed out on a smooth slab of concrete.

A garage.

I grabbed the keys from the rack. I debating finding the emergency back I always had on hand but that's when-

"Seto!"

The metal door collided full on with my body. I slammed back into the car, crying out more of surprise than any actual pain.

Several sets of hands yanked me from the ground, bending my arms behind my back, and though I struggled, forced me to kneel.

"You will be punished for that, Seto." Krios glided smoothly towards me, voice and face so cold my anger momentarily dropped into real fear. "After all the trouble I've gone to acquire you, you think I'd just let you walk away?" He grabbed my hair, wrenching my face up towards his. "Do you think I care if any of your human morals carried over into this life! I'll make you forget them! I have other ways of making you feed, Seto! I'll starve you until you go mad with thirst! Until you'll feed off a newborn babe and think of nothing else but your insatiable hunger! You will beg for blood, kiss my feet for it! It's the only thing in your world now! Only thing in your universe, Seto, because _**you are Vampire**_!"

No.

No, _no_, _**NO**_!

_There's no such thing a vampires! There isn't. They don't exist! They're fairytales like unicorns or goblins! They're not real-!_

"Yes, Seto, you are one of us now," Krios leered, cooing now straight into my wide, horrified eyes, revelling in my reaction. "You are a vampire."

My mind could handle no more.

I wanted to run. Run back to my home, back to Mokuba. I wanted to wake up and realize all of this was just some horrid nightmare. I jerked in my bonds. _I wanted to drink blood_. And by my want of blood I was now the slave of this creature.

No.

I won't think like that.

I will never be his slave!

I will fight until I am free or until this undead life is somehow ended.

I struggled to break my arms free. One arm and I stood a chance. But the hands kept coming, clawing waves grabbing at my limbs!

Stop! Get off me! LEAVE ME _ALONE_!

Just as I thought they'd drag me away... something strange happened.

It was as if time had stopped, or more precisely, slowed. Every hand clenched on my arms and sides or around fistfuls of my tearing clothes released. Each of their owners stared blankly, eyes void of any kind of malice or any emotion at all. Then, one by one each of them, even Krios, started walking away.

At first I didn't move, on the grounds of I was having my own bizarre reaction. In my head I felt as though my mind was being stretched in different directions. In each of these directions I heard muffled voices. Nobodies' lips were moving and the voices were so quiet I couldn't understand what they were saying. But I felt them… and… and I felt I could… _control_ them. Unconsciously my mind pulled up a picture of the room where I'd 'woken up' in and each of them filed up the stairs and around the corner, disappearing from sight.

Not one to lose an opportunity, I yanked open the car door and jammed the keys into ignition. It started with a rumbling purr. I'd never heard such a beautiful sound. Another button opened the exit way. I stomped on the gas, the metal underneath groaning from the pressure, but just as I reached the cool night of outside, my connection- control, whatever it was- broke. I raced down the street just as I heard Krios roar and the human screaming start.

Alleviated as I was at my escape, I knew it was only a matter of time before they found me. An electric blue Bugatti Veyron with a white dragon painted over the hood, weaving down the highway at top speed wasn't hard to spot, even in California. I glanced in the rear-view mirror for any vehicle that seemed to be following me.

I screamed.

There wasn't Krios. It was my eyes.

What I expected to be sapphire I was given bright crimson. And it wasn't just that, no. It was my whole complexion.

I'd always been pale, however now I looked bone white with the exception of my teeth were even whiter. Perfect and gleaming they were any dentist's dream, but they were sinister, not pointed but sharper like razors.

Something shattered and I looked down. I'd smashed the mirror. I took a deep breath, ignoring the dire burning in my throat. Okay, what I needed was a plan.

The police?

What good could they do against Krios and his minions? Throw silver at them or pull out a crucifix? Did that even really work on…

No. They were not vampires.

_**I**__ was not a vampire_.

But I was dangerous.

I wanted to go home, but what if they followed me there? The idea of leading them to Mokuba sickened me. No home then. But-

"Mokuba!" I flinched at my new voice again. What if they'd already gotten to him?

I snatched up the car phone, careful not to crush it with my newfound strength. I pressed the speed dial. It only rang once.

"Hello?" Mokuba's panicked voice answered. My whole body sagged. "Seto, is that you? Hello? Are you all right? Seto?"

"Yes, I'm all right," I finally spoke, albeit shakily.

There was a moment of shocked silence.

"It is you!" Mokuba could barely get out the words through the sobbing. "Seto, I thought!- Kaiba Corp!- t-t-the body!- They found your _**blood**_!-"

I winced. "Mokuba, listen to me. I'm safe for now-"

"For now? Where are you! You've been missing for three days! I couldn't trace the chip in your locket!"

I glanced down. Fuck! I must have lost it in the fight.

"Are you coming home?" Mokuba hiccupped and it broke my heart to answer.

"No. No, Mokuba. I can't."

"Why not?"

"It's not safe." I glanced in the mirrors again. "Listen to me, Mokuba. I want you and Roland to go somewhere safe. Use the emergency credit card and fly somewhere- anywhere! Don't tell anyone where you're going. Do you understand me?"

"But-"

"Do you understand me?" I demanded. "Mokuba, _please!_"

"Okay, Seto," Mokuba said quietly. He quieted his crying, I pictured him swiping carelessly at his face and wished more now then ever that I could just go home if I knew I wouldn't bring hell right behind me.

"W-w-… will I… see you again?" he whispered.

I'm glad he couldn't see my face, that I couldn't see my own since I'd broken the mirror because I was about to lie the blackest of lies.

"Of course you will, Mokie."

"Promise?"

Inhale. "Promise-"

_**SMASH! **_

My whole body jarred forward at the impact. A glance over my shoulder showed a dark tinted windowed car pushing into my back bumper.

"Seto?" Mokuba cried, hearing the crunching of metal.

_**SMASH**_**!**

They were trying to push me off the road. My lab being on the very outskirts of town surrounded by semi-dense forest left me on my own on a nearly empty highway.

"Mokuba-!"

_**SMASH**_**!**

I fought to control the steering wheel. "Mokuba, you do what I told you! Right now! Do you hear me?"

"Set-"

The final hit sent me spinning into the ditch straight into a tree, and at nearly 200 km an hour, sent me rocketing through the windshield. I rolled then landed on my feet automatically. I was both thankful and disturbed that besides my shirt turning to ribbons I was otherwise unscathed. I didn't even wait to hear my car explode, taking my link to Mokuba with it, I just turned and ran.

Dodging and ducking, I must have looked like a jacked up rabbit on speed. Behind me I hear one my pursuers spit, "Fucker's fast!"

It was an extreme game of cat and mouse. I stayed fast enough to stay just out of their reach but this was no way to lose them because it seemed that I never tired. And neither did they.

In the distance I saw an abandoned old Chevy left by the side of the road. If I could get to it, there was a chance I could use my technical genius to hotwire it. But that was only if I lost my chasers long enough to do it.

I thought back to that miracle occurrence back at the garage. Could I do it again…?

I had been thinking about how I wanted them to leave me alone. Maybe if I tried that again it would work.

_Leave me alone! Go away! Run away from me! _

They continued following me.

One mile to the truck.

I took a deep breath. This would either help me or be the end of me, and even if it didn't then I was just fighting the inevitable anyway.

So I stopped, dead in my tracks, and faced them.

"I'LL NEVER BE YOUR GODDAMN SERVANT! STOP CHASING ME AND LEAVE ME BE!"

I felt the connection spark. I concentrated harder and that spark exploded bringing them under my control once again.

Gunner had been closest and skidded to a stop, slack jawed and blank eyed. Then he turned and started running in the opposite direction, just like the others. I on the other hand started running towards the truck.

I smashed the window with my elbow and unlocked the door, diving to yank off the panel under the steering wheel, grabbing two specific wires, stripping them with my teeth and praying to any god out there that this baby still had enough in it to run.

"Come on! _Come on_! _Please_!" The wires sparked then a teeth-grinding noise bellowed from under the hood. I could have cried with relief.

Jumping onto the nasty green vinyl, I floored it back onto the highway and decided to test how fast this dinosaur could go.

I was heading north. At least I think I was. I had been more acutely focused on my state of capture and escape to pay attention to the road signs. This truck chugged a long, it's fastest just below the speed limit making me think of the speed of my Bugatti. I thought back to the crash and the pire of smoke still slightly visable in the pockmarked mirrors. That explosion was the last thing Mokuba probably heard. He probably thought I was dead for sure now and I couldn't contact him if he was obeying what told him to do.

A plane rumbled high above and I hoped he was on it.

Continuing through the night I still didn't know what to do. I thought of what Krios had said, about me being a …

The best I could do right now was find a safe place to hide and think.

I checked the rear view mirror as I did every couple of seconds, ignoring the glow of my red eyes, but I never saw the dark tinted car again.

* * *

**Well... uh, ... hehe, long time no see? **

**I'M SO SORRY! I had no right to make you wait this long for an update! D': Especially with the cliffhanger I left the last one on!  
I know every author gives this excuse but real life has seriously thrown me under the buss as of late. If anyone cares for a shitty excuse here it is. Due to health problems I missed my grade 10/11 years so now I have very little time to finish a LOT of work. ****I am almost finished the next chapter of You, Me, and Baby Makes Three, so you won't have to wait long for that one with maybe a couple other surprises...**

**I know I have no right to ask, but if any of you don't totally hate me by now... could you... maybe... leave a review...?**


	4. Chapter 4: Tribulation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Twilight.**

**There will be spelling and grammar mistakes. I'm sorry ;n;**

* * *

**Chapter 4:** _Tribulation_

There's a point in the mind when the ability to understand no longer exists. Like a computer overwhelmed by too much information it saves what it can and then simply shuts down. What once was acknowledged as leisurely parts of the brain used for menial everyday tasks, crossword puzzles, conversations, social engagements, things a person doesn't even have to think about, suddenly becomes obsolete. The mind returns to basic instinct to ensure the survival of its vessel and to protect itself. This happens when what was once the solid basis of a known reality is eradicated down to its very core. The mind shatters. It's a line no one ever hopes to cross. But I, Seto Kaiba, have found myself thrown across that line.

In little over seventy-two hours everything I have ever believed in exists only as a faint memory. As clear as the dark road I stared down now, the images and sensations of my body burning from the inside out, of waking up on a metal table, to open my eyes and come face to face a horde of pale, red eyed fiends, I could remember every detail down to a single inhale of breath, further, the number of times Carol's bones snapped as she died. And it haunted me.

I heaved the rusted air of the dilapidated old truck I'd hotwired. Cigarette smoke and alcohol clung to the seats and the faint smell of spearmint gum pressed under the seat. All if it seared my senses.

Pain seared from my throat. My God it_** burned**_!

I constantly swallowed begging for some kind of relief, however, the motion only seemed to make it worse. The sick thing was that I knew exactly what would stop it.

Blood. Human blood.

The screams of Krios plagued my every thought.

_'Yes, Seto, you are one of us now. You are a vampire.'_

Impossible. It just wasn't **possible**!

Such creatures like vampires were myths, hollow tales from centuries past used as scare tactics by parents or of a person who wanted to elevate their importance claiming to have slain one. Like werewolves or dragons. The modern world grew out of such petty ideas as man became more enlightened. The Earth was no longer a dark and mysterious void. Mankind evolved, taking control of its environment, bringing light to the shadows and in doing so unmasked the existence of such silly imaginations, discarding them to a fate in fiction writers and film.

But this… this… _**thirst**_…! All sane thoughts thrown into madness over my craving for the lifeblood of a fellow human. The very contemplation of the idea didn't even make me sick.

It made me _hungry_.

Flames licked at the back of my mouth, my body slumped and shaking over the steering wheel I gripped so hard I barely noticed when a piece snapped off in my hand, crumbling onto the dirty floor like sand. I stared at my strength in disgust. This wasn't normal!

The road stretched out in front of me was long and empty, and a small, infinitesimal part of me was glad because if a car passed by my side I knew I would launch myself whoever that vehicle contained. Another piece of the wheel gave beneath my fingers. I couldn't focus! My eyes darted erratically, my breaths hissing through my teeth. The world was muting in and out, my tongue darting out to my lips helplessly.

Dry… too dry-!

It never registered when the truck tipped nose-first off the road and into the ditch. I didn't even move. Like a statue, I remained in a stupor over the wheel, staring in horror at my red-eyed reflection in the passenger's side mirror. They were darkening now, the crimson starting to go black around my pupils.

I'm glad I was alone, here in the cab of a broken down truck on the side of the road, my clothes torn and caked with dried blood, pitifully pleading in whimpers for the pain to stop. It's pathetic._** I'm**_ pathetic.

How could it be that hours ago I was with my brother at the beach, surfing under the hot sun? An internationally recognized CEO of one of the world's fastest growing companies? Wait… But it wasn't hours ago. Mokuba had said on the phone that I'd been missing for three days. Three days… Had I been roasting alive for that long? I keened again, desolated.

Maybe I truly had gone insane. Snapped, lost my mind to mass hallucinations. On a certain level I wanted this to be the answer. I could be treated, locked up in a padded room, pumped up with pharmaceuticals and watched over by a nice nurse if it meant so I wouldn't be able to hurt anyone. But if I really was going crazy, there were things delusion could not construe. My eyes, this deranged thirst for human blood… my lack of a heartbeat. These were neither symptoms of mental illness nor the results of glorified nightmares.

Sickness did not give you inhuman strength or speed, or the ability to control others, I shuddered in hindsight.

Although, thinking of what I was now capable of sounded like it might as well be the ravings of a pure lunatic. I coughed a weak hiss of a laugh. Prime comic book story material. Mokuba would eat this up.

I flinched, recalling the foggy face of my little brother grinning up at me, imagining him in the dump he called a room, surrounded by piles of comic books and pop cans. Faintly, through the caverns of memory, I could almost hear his bright laughter echoing. Right now, at this very moment, he was somewhere in the world, safely hidden away from Krios and more importantly, myself. I took solace in that.

"…sir? Sir, are you all right?"

My head snapped towards the voice so fast, the young mousy-haired woman who'd been peering through the truck window yelped, stumbling back until she lost her footing.

I could hear her heartbeat.

I could smell her blood.

The pure untainted terror in her eyes sparked a sharp thrill through me as I sinuously snaked out of the vehicle, advancing on her, my intent held crystal clear in my unholy red eyes. I was now a predator and she was my prey. I'd say I felt sorry for her, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, innocent victim and all that, but I wouldn't honestly mean it. She was just the means to and end, something to stop the torment-

"Mommy?"

I froze not two feet from the woman. A green minivan parked on the shoulder, sat still running with the side door pulled back just enough to reveal a little girl peering out at us in wide-eyed confusion. Her curly black locks stuck to her full cheeks, one chubby hand clinging to an old stuffed rabbit doll as her gaze flickered from her mother to me. She struggled to lean forward, fighting the restraints of her car seat. "Mommy?" she called again.

The woman realized what I was looking at and let out gasping horrified sobs, the sounds of which reverberated to my very bones. "N-no… No, no please! Not my baby! Please not her! Take me! Just leave my baby alone! PLEASE!"

The little girl called out again, this time anxious, hearing the fear in her mother's voice. I vaguely wondered if she understood that her mother was begging me to spare her daughter's life in offer of her own.

A hand sprung up, gripping the bottom of my shredded shirt and my gaze snapped down to her in surprise. Shaking and blubbering all her words melded into barely a hum in the back of my mind.

I was seeing my brother.

Mokuba clutched at me, knuckles white and boney like his sallow face, purple-grey eyes glassed over with beseeching tears.

"_Seto… big brother… don't…! Don't hurt them…!"_

I ran.

Brush was demolished under my feet as I veered in the opposite direction, sprinting away from the image I'd seen back in my lab as Krios and his goons offered Carol up on a silver platter, the image of Mokuba laying dead in front of me, his throat torn open and his eyes blank, expression forever suspended in a look of fear.

Dirt kicked up behind me, wind whistling past my ears as I sprinted.

_Faster! I have to get away__** faster**__!_

Dirt turned to shrubs and bracken, and slowly that to augmented into trees. I aimed towards where they grew thickest and soon found branches clawing at me like the forest knew what I had become and was now trying to stop me.

I don't know how long I ran. I pushed myself to the limit, flying around the trunks, arms and legs pumping back and forth unrelenting. It was only when the horizon began to turn the colour of fire, an orange warning licking at the blackened night sky, did I slow to stop. Daylight would soon break and with day came the sun.

I was in trouble.

I would not admit it. Never. But this left me in yet another plight.

Would I burn if sunlight touched me?

Images of people screeching as they melted or broiled alive until they were nothing more than a pile of ash flooded to the front of my mind. Was it like in the movies? Would sunlight kill me?

I made no noise as I sprinted off again, eyes searching madly for somewhere to hide.

The sky grew brighter.

Panic grew in my gut. I had to find a place to wait out the day until night once again came round.

The burning in my throat was pushed away as my mind brought the task of keeping my body safe to the forefront of my attention. I launched across an odd narrow clearing that looked as though it might have once been a road. I didn't care. It was what was across it that I ran for. On the other side was a shack. No windows, a door barely hanging from its hinges, and although the thing was slowly rotting into the ground I felt saved.

Sharp orange rays touched the trees around me just above my head as I wrenched the door open just enough to squeeze inside. A raccoon hissed, startled at my sudden intrusion on its domain and shot off the way I'd come. Making sure the door was in its frame the best I could, I staggered back into the far corner. The shed wasn't large, two small strides was the length of it and it was only about two metres wide. The earth had reclaimed the floor, long blades grass growing up the wooden planked sides. Out of habit I stood for a while, more used to sitting on antique leather furniture than bare ground. However as the light pierced through cracks and crevices, I scrunched myself into the dark corner and resigned myself to waiting.

Time dragged on.

I rested my arms on my knees and buried my face in them. It was like going into hibernation. My mind slowed down, leaving my senses working independently. I still kept tasting and smelling the air, my ears listening to the slightest twitch of noise. It was the closest thing to sleep I'd had since what happed in the basement of my lab.

_Why me? Why did Krios target me?_

I could only faintly remember bits and pieces from what had happened at KC headquarters. He'd picked me specifically, wanted me to become part of his army to dominate the world. Was it because of my connections? Subconsciously, I touched my temple. No, connections weren't what he was after. As fictitious as it sounded I could control people. Krios wanted me for what I could now do. But how could he have known this would be the outcome? He'd said so himself that I would be powerful but he hadn't know in which way.

I can't be a… a…

_You already believe it, or else you wouldn't be hiding like a damn coward now would you?_ Logic snarled back at me.

I took another steady inhale, fighting back the want to need to… hunt something. The smell of sweet grass, pine and animal musk melded together in a potent scent that had I still been human- I cringed over the word- I would have enjoyed the freshness of it. So much cleaner than the cities of California…

Mokuba would have enjoyed a place like this.

I pulled in another deep breath, listening to something chitter up a nearby tree.

_I hope you're safe little brother_.

My head snapped up.

I sat stock still, listening.

No… it couldn't be…

But it was. The smooth rumbled of a car engine. And it was getting closer.

The dimming blue violet of sunset was suddenly gone, a blindingly bright light in its place. I pressed my back against the wall hearing it creek in warning. The headlights moved away leaving me in darkness once again. This was the middle of nowhere, who would be out driving in these parts?

I didn't plan to find out. Creeping outwards from the tiny shed I listened for any noise. The grinding of tires on gravel was winding its way down another obscure path. I prepared to run. And then stopped.

The car had driven right by me. It couldn't be Krios…

I watched the red taillights in mild interest.

I think I just found a new ride.

The car stopped and I froze, watching.

I hadn't taken in the exact details of the area in my haste to protect myself.

Half submerged in the surrounding forest like a skeleton protruding through the earth was a decrepit looking building. Narrow and long, it looked like it hadn't been inhabited for years- or at least by inhabitants who spared the time for upkeep. Once fresh white paint was now brown and peeling from the siding, shingles falling from the roof, concrete full of grass filled gaps. However, a half fallen sign with a name that no longer lit up claimed this sad forgotten building seemed to be a motel. I stepped forward, curious but cautious.

I heard sounds and slunk back into the shadows.

The car looked very expensive. Shiny, detailed, obviously very precious to the owner.

My senses kicked into overdrive, listening, watching, and smelling the air. Why? Because this car was sleek and black, the windows tinted darkly, almost opaque.

Just like the one Krios's underlings used.

My worries were calmed, however, nearly instantaneously. Above the overbearing scent of rot from the siding, a cheap sugary smell wafted towards me, its owner a sickly looking woman.

She stepped out from the backseat, donning a worn pair of silver platform heels that looked hazardous on her thin spindly legs and a tiny, red mini vinyl dress that had seen better days. She barely looked day over eighteen.

It wasn't hard to understand her job as two young men exited the driver and passenger side doors. The driver was short but well built, his blond streaked hair gelled in a way he probably thought made him belong on the cover of a GQ magazine. He strutted around the front of the car to the other two, arrogance exuding from him in a stench worse than the woman's cheap perfume. The passenger on the other hand, was taller, thinner and seemed to be following in the other's footsteps but didn't quite have the same level of confidence yet.

The woman, who wobbled precariously, dark bags under her eyes and ominous lines on the inner crease of her elbows, grabbed the taller man's arm. "I need it, Chris! Can I have it now? Please? You said you had it!" she whined, voice rough and cracking.

The shorter one laughed, eyes flashing. "Relax, babe! The stuff's upstairs like I promised. Come on. Let's go get you fixed up." The girl didn't hear the menacing undertone like I did.

The three climbed the low boardwalk that rimmed the decaying building, vanishing into one of the rooms that still had a number half attached door. I could hear them inside, snorts and quick breaths, their heartbeats growing faster and faster. The hiss and clink of a couple cans added in. There were words exchanged but my attentions were on that snazzy black car. Or should I say my new getaway vehicle.

From my place pressed against the paint chipped wall, I made several sweeps with my gaze, an instinctive caution, and then shrewdly I made my way towards the car. It was littered with old fast food containers and the sharp potent scent of alcohol and sex was easy enough to detect several feet away. I wrinkled my nose, abhorred.

I debated smashing the window and hotwiring it like I had the truck. However, technologies had improved leaving me with a much more difficult challenge I did not have the patience for right now. I tried to think of another plan.

My mind's strange ability to divide my attention without disrupting my concentration is what started a chain reaction.

I kept half and ear out for the three inside, in case one of them came out and spotted me. In the motel room those words exchanged were turning from annoyed to demanding to enraged. Something shattered and the woman screamed. A sharp smack of a slap and both men grunted, her shrill wailing scored with deep crunching thuds and the squeal of bedsprings.

Her muffled pleading for them to stop grew louder and more desperate. I tilted my head in their direction hearing over and over again the sickening 'gultching' sound of flesh being pierced. There was one last hoarse whimper from the woman, and then… silence.

I became utterly still, no longer focusing on the door.

There were only two surviving heartbeats now.

They'd… killed her?

"…Ha… I thought she'd never shut up," said the voice I recognized as the shorter man. He was panting, breathless.

A black hatred seethed from core hearing breathless chuckles and comments of commendation. My patience had run dry and what fumes of mental morality I'd retained were gone. What remained was a festering appetite not just for blood but for violence.

The life I'd had was gone, stolen from me just like the woman's, and I was craving and excuse- _any_ excuse, any scapegoat to release the anger boiling right below my skin. I wanted to make them pay. Rip them limb from limb!

The rapidly disintegrating logical side of my psyche ordered me to leave well enough alone. My fingertips barely touched the glass of the driver's side window, hesitating. It was none of my business; I had enough to deal with now in any case. I should just take the car, get as far away as I can before I'm found by Krios and try to figure out my next course of action.

That's when it happened.

A door clicked open.

A yell.

…and a delicious, _**delicious**_ metallic smell…

I was turned half away from the car, unable to move. Someone was hollering at me, screaming at me to get away from their vehicle. My eyes closed, inhaling deeply again.

_It reminded me of my mother_.

Somewhere a part of me cringed in shame at the comparison, but that's how it felt. I could hardly remember the features of my mother's face save for the blue eyes I had… or once had. Yet the scent swirled around me, soothing and warm like her arms pulling me close for a loving embrace. It filled my lungs like the sweet welcoming redolence of a homemade meal.

The small voice in the back of my head struggled, crying out for me to hold my breath, to stop at once. But it was too late.

My inner monster purred, sucking in more air.

_This is what I've been searching for…_

The little voice was losing to the monster. Finger by finger the monster gently pried away its feeble hold on my conscience, whispering seductively into my ear.

_You want to be free of the pain don't you_?

Yes, I answered honestly, I do.

_You have a chance to stop it all. Those men_-

But they're people, my conscience croaked weakly. The monster tsk'd reproachfully.

_They just murdered that girl! You heard it yourself. Those men are the scum of the earth. You'd be helping by everyone by making them… disappear_. _It's your duty_.

My… duty?

_You merely stood there while they ripped her life away. You didn't so much as lift a finger_.

I-

_If you don't stop them, they kill again. You know it's true…_

"… away from my car! Beat it!"

_Seto, there's no other way to stop the burning. This is your only choice_.

"The fuck did I just say? Get away from my-" The man's words were severed by a shaky gasp. My eyes had shot open and I rounded so fast he jumped a step back. It was the tall one. _Chris_ the girl had called him, I recalled sneeringly. His pointed face was spattered with blood as was his clothes, and in his hand he held a red soaked rag. He saw my understanding of the bloody rag and squared his shoulders, looking what I guess he thought was menacing.

Pathetic. I'll show him menacing.

He examined my clothes to, growing paler as he looked up from my ragged pants to the rust coloured stains and singe marks covering most of my shirt or at least what was left of it. He looked like he wanted to flee.

The man's accomplice stepped out to a cigarette hanging from between his teeth, curious as to the sudden commotion. His once white polo was spattered with blood. I inhaled.

_Delicious_.

Seeing me, his watery eyes grew wide. I could see in his expression the fight between fear and his need to remain tough and respected in front of the other. His ego won.

Taking a slow, deliberate drag from his cigarette, he placed a hand on Chris's shoulder, gesturing back inside with an arrogant jerk of his head. I could see the red under his fingernails.

"Fuck off, kid, if you know what's good for you," he barked at me. Only I, with my heightened hearing picked up the pitiful quiver in his voice. He waited for a moment, hovering over the threshold as if he hoped his display would scare me off, make me turn my head down and duck away. I didn't move, my red eyes staring and unblinking, my mouth twisted into an amused quirk.

His fear increased.

The sweet, coppery smell of blood was thick now, spiked with adrenaline, tantalizing my senses. My eyes drifted closed for a long second as I reverently inhaled.

_Simply mouth-watering_.

I didn't realize I had my feet on the short steps until the man yelled again.

"Do you have a death wish?" he hollered, reaching into his coat and brandishing an automatic handgun. I hesitated for a moment, gazing at him unwaveringly, watching and smelling the beads of sweat trace down his over-gelled temples. He gripped the gun tighter in both his hands, still screaming one stupid thing or another. I wasn't really listening.

Lithely I ghosted forward, each almost silent thump of my footsteps reverberating like the beat of a funeral march. The scent of his blood stirred with that of the murdered woman. Although his was tainted with something foreign, something most likely illegal guessing from the red of his bloodshot eyes. But blood is blood one way or another and I wasn't about to get picky. As I reached the landing, standing square to him and the barrel of his gun, and something occurred to me.

Could a bullet kill me? It was an interesting line of thought. Was lead enough to end my unholy rampage, or was it like the stories where the bullet had to be made of pure silver…?

I paused, contemplating. With how bad he was shaking it would be a surprise if he actually managed a fatal shot and if he did… well, then it was my lucky day.

"I'm fucking warning you man!" he sneered.

I stepped forward.

BANG!

A deafening crack resounded like a lightening strike, my shoulder jerking back form the impact of a bullet. The sound again as another hit my stomach. The man let out a roar, pulling the trigger again and again until a quiet clink told that he'd used the entire clip.

Silence fell. He kept the useless gun pointed at me, waiting for me to drop dead.

That didn't happen.

Rancorously, I pressed the tips of my fingers through the hole in my shirt the bullet made, touching my smooth skin where a gaping wound should have been. I glanced down at my middle with the same result. How..._ interesting_.

The corner of my mouth lifted in a sarcastic smirk as I raised myself to my fully height. So I really was an unstoppable monster after all.

The man staggered back, spinning into the motel room and slamming the door behind him with the metal clinks of a deadbolt locking into place. How pointless. If a gun couldn't stop me, did he honestly think a silly little thing like a deadbolt would?

Jamming my fingers in the slight gap between the door and the frame it took no effort at all to yank it right off its hinges. Lock and all.

The smell of blood was strongest as I entered. Immediately I understood why.

On the only furniture in the room, a bare queen sized bed pushed up against the wall to my right, lay the naked, bloody corpse of the prostitute left in a heap, body grotesquely littered with stab wounds. Crimson soaked the mattress and spattered the walls. She looked so wretched like that.

In another blurring movement I was at the bedside. My vision had melted down into a single point of focus, sharpening tenfold. It was as if my mind had sudden ascended to a higher level of comprehension. The hunter inside me showed its true ability, taking in all sights, smells and sounds, studying routes of escape and anything that may cause harm. My mind had suddenly become more powerful than a super computer.

All because of the blood.

I tuned out the noise of both the men whimpering and reached out a hand to touch the pool of the girl's lifeblood. Pulling back, I observed my reddened fingertips… then placed them in my mouth.

* * *

**Okay... so... **

**Before I get the angry pm's, yelling at me for taking as long as I have let me explain.**

**I am very, very, VERY sorry.**

**It's been over a year since I started this story and I only have 4 chapters up. Believe me, every time I think about it I depress myself. Like on the verge of tears depress myself. I know what it's like to love a story and then the author stops. Some of my all time favourite stories are unfinished and it drives me crazy- which is why I promise to finish Sapphire Blood.**  
**There is an ending and I WILL write it.**  
**Seriously.**  
**I already have Chapter 5 done. (I have some weird thing where I can only type 2 chapters at a time ono).**  
**Down to business. I've mentioned on my profile that I've made some serious changes to the plot.**  
**At first Seto was going to be a good vampire, much like Rosalie- meaning he'd taste no human blood. Buuuuut I got bored. Too squeaky clean of a plot. Not that I don't like Twilight or S.M. (Honestly a book I can pick up and read to the end is good book in my opinion. Anti-Twilighters need to get their panties out of their ass *a-hem*) However- I wanted to add a little depth to Seto's struggle, deepen his pain and show more of the issues he faces... and maybe because it's fun to mess with his head LOL**  
**Some might say he's a bit OOC but honestly what would your reaction be if some dude turned you into an undead being and was trying hunt you down? Seto will normal out and be more like his angsty arrogant self later.**

**Anyway, to **_sleepy dreamer 9_**, I'm sorry for being such a lazy ass. You got me to focus on actually writing Seto-vamp and stopped my attempts to forget that it existed on my computer. This chapter's for you QnQ**

**To everyone else Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays- whatever tickles your fancy~ I hope you liked the chapter. Think of it as my gift to all you guys who have stuck with me despite my lack of ability to get shit done. I have no right to ask but I would love you all to death if you'd review ;u;**

**Next chapter! Seto gets trapped, the Cullens appear, and Mokuba desperately searches for his possibly dead brother...**


	5. Chapter 5: Relinquish

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Twilight.**

* * *

Bedsprings groaned in protest as I sat down on the edge as far away from the woman as I could. I wasn't aware how long I stayed there, my face buried in my hands, completely motionless. Night turned to dawn, dawn turned to day and day turned to twilight. I didn't dare look up lest I see the bodies of the two men I'd murdered, tossed aside like a couple of empty soda cans. One still held the knife he'd tried to use against me, clutched feebly in his fist.

I couldn't explain it. The moment my fingers had touched my lips I lost control.

The woman was drained of most of her blood by the stabbing so I'd instinctively rounded on the men, grabbing the skinny one by the throat and hurling him against the wall. There was a loud crack and he slumped to the floor, motionless. The other crawled away, begging and blubbering about how he'd give me anything I wanted if I just let him live. I sneered at his grovelling, all my desperation and anger and fear taking over. The edges of my vision tinted red as I advanced on him, snatching his hair and yanking his head back. That's when I felt something striking against my abdomen. Sure enough, he'd grabbed a bloody knife and was striking at me again and again, sobbing stupidly. My patience evaporated. Snatching the knife I curled my fingers around the blade and squeezed. It was like squishing clay. I dropped the warped piece of metal, hearing it hit the musty carpet with a thud.

"Oh God! Please! Oh God please!" the man choked.

"God?" I purred, my voice dripping with the condescending promise of death. "There is no God."

And then I sank my teeth into his throat.

He gurgled for a few moments, kicking and twitching futilely. My teeth cut through skin and muscle like a hot knife through butter. Mouthful after mouthful I swallowed every last drop of blood. I moaned wonderfully, feeling it coat my burning throat. I couldn't get enough.

But too soon he ran dry. In frustration I hurled the empty body away like it was no more than an empty pop can and turned towards the other. With each gulp my sanity was restored. I could think clearly now, my mind no longer a haze of pain. I felt rejuvenated, blissful, relieved. However, the feeling did not last. The searing thirst I experienced had never really left, only temperately held at by the fresh blood. It crept back and with it despair. The deep crimson half moon mark shapes on the woman's neck was proof of how desperate for blood I had become.

I felt cheated. I'd killed to make this torture stop! I'd become a murderer and all I wanted was more!

My fingers threaded up into my hair, clenching.

I swear on our parents grave, if I ever see Mokuba again I'll never tell him about this!

I could see his face. Horrified, scared, disgusted!

A sob broke from my chest.

My mother, my father, Mokuba. I'd betrayed them all.

I sobbed again, but no tears.

What a cruel joke.

Was I doomed to be a killer whose body couldn't even shed tears of regret?

Rising from the bed, I glided towards the door but stopped. I picked up a lighter from the side table. Staring at it for a long minute I flicked it on and set the room alight.

And uneasy sensation settled within me as I watched the flames spread. I took a set of keys from one of the body's pockets and left just as the mattress began to burn. I could hear the crackling grow as I sank into the car. It started with a low rumble, much quieter than the truck.

I pulled away just as orange flames licked out of the doorframe.

* * *

"Sir, please stay away from the windows!"

Mokuba sighed, letting go of the curtain so his rainy view of downtown Vancouver was once again obscured by the heavy, ugly floral patterned curtains.

He knew Seto meant him to be far away, like back to Japan or Europe, when he told him to hide. But there was just… something. It ate at the back of his mind, and irk that wouldn't go away.

Goose bump sprawled up his body and Mokuba frantically rubbed his arms to rid himself of them.

He and his brother had been through a lot together- that went without saying. Two kids did not remain the same after their parent's death, let alone having their family take their inheritance, shun them and toss them away to an orphanage to be forgotten. And then there was the terrifying ordeal of their stepfather. Mokuba has luckily escaped the bastard's attention, but that left Seto directly in Gozaburo's crosshairs.

Mokuba retreated to one of the twin-sized beds. The TV was on, some stupid, small-minded game show chattered on, filling the otherwise silent hotel room with noise. He hadn't had the energy to change his clothes since the night he and Roland had whisked away at his brothers orders. His long black hair was greasy and dark, bruise-like hung beneath his eyes.

Sleep was impossible.

Like a broken record turning around and around in his head, Mokuba replayed his brother's last words to him.

"W-w-… will I… see you again?"

"Of course you will, Mokie."

Remembering just how hopeless Seto sounded, Mokuba knew the promise that they'd one day see each other again had been nothing but brave lie for his sake. It was his brother's last-ditch effort to shield him from whatever horrific monster lurked in the shadows.

But still…

He couldn't be dead.

_I won't let him be_.

"Sir, you should eat something," Roland stepped forward, the grey streaks in his hair appearing especially pronounced.

"I'm not hungry," Mokuba replied.

"Please, sir-"

"I SAID I'M NOT HUNGRY!"

There was a sweeping crash as a lamp shattered on the floor. Above it, Mokuba stood panting. For the briefest of moments his bottom lip quivered.

He couldn't cry.

Seto wouldn't want him to.

"How can I even think of f-food when Seto is still out there?" The rage in the teenager's voice grew until he was yelling at the top of his lungs. "My brother is out there, running for his life while I'm in here watching fucking Jeopardy and snacking on room service! We should be out looking for him! Not sitting here like cowards in hiding!"

Roland merely stood, watching, a pained expression on his face. When he believed Mokuba had run out of things to scream, he cleared his throat softly and in a fatherly gesture he placed his hand on younger's shaking shoulders.

"This is to protect you. _Your brother_ is trying to protect _you_."

"I know but-"

"This was Master Seto's orders and you know I have never once disobeyed him." In a more serious manner he spoke, "What would he say if he saw you now, acting like this?"

"H-he'd say that I'm a Kaiba," Mokuba answered shakily, "And Kaiba's don't cry or panic, that I need to think things through..."

"Exactly." Roland produced a small, strained smile before returning to preparing their meal.

Mokuba's hand came up to clutch at the card shaped locket that hung around his neck. "Roland…?"

"Yes, sir?"

"… Seto's still alive, right?"

The room fell deathly quiet. Even the temperature seemed to drop.

With a small electric kettle in one hand, the bodyguard stood frozen.

"I'm… I'm sure we'll find him, sir. You're brother's survived tough times before."

Mokuba tried to believe those words but a devastating numbness coiled around his insides.

Something told him that even if he found his brother… things had inescapably changed.

* * *

The owners of the car had been kind enough to top off the gas tank before meeting their end, I discerned with a grim expression. Obviously they'd been expecting a full night of activities.

Finding the main road was hard, and I was glad to put as much distance between me and my misdeeds at the motel as was possible. My throat flared at the memory of drinking both men dry, the smooth way it slipped down as I swallowed, the strong metallic taste, the feeling of absolute contentedness as it filled my stomach and after when, full and appeased, for a brief moment all seemed right with the world once again.

I inhaled, welcoming the noxious scent forever locked into the interior of the car. Knocking aside what I could only assume was a heroin needle, I dug my fingers into the leather of the sidelong console. The brilliant red of the monster leered back at me in the mirror, mocking me for being such a coward.

_This was my destiny_, it sneered maliciously, _and I'd do better to pursue it_.

I sneered at the windshield. I'd never believed in destiny and I wouldn't start now.

I sped northwards, away from the motel, away from California, away from my basement lab and away from Krios. I had no yet, only debating whether or not I should cross the border into Canada when the time came. What was I to against Krios and his –for lack of a better word- army? At this rate I would be forever trapped in a game of cat and mouse. I'd run and if they caught up, use my disturbing ability to control their minds and send them away again. I had to find a way of getting the upper hand. I couldn't go to the police or anywhere public. They'd either think I'd gone completely over the deep end, or maybe someone out there would actually know how to destroy something like me.

That was tempting idea…

No. I had Mokuba to think of and I promised myself he would never have to see what I'd turned into.

I was outside the city of Olympia when a series of sirens begin to wail behind me. Blinding flashes of blue and red lit up the darkened road blasting the thick wall of trees on either side of the road with colour. Three cruisers followed me practically riding on my bumper. I debated moving over to let them pass but a funny feeling told me they weren't aiming to get by. They were targeting me. I was momentarily confused. Was barely over the speed limit, hardly the offence to invoke being pursued by three police cars. However it was when I turned round a corner that I caught sight of the drug unit logo on the side of one of them that I understood the austerity of the situation and stomped my foot down on the gas.

Apparently the previous owners of this car were very well known for their dealings in these parts. Lucky me.

I swerved, pushing harder on the gas. It's easier to drive like a homicidal maniac when you know crashing isn't going to kill you.

The narrow road had only two lanes, one going each way. Thankfully at around 1 in the morning traffic was sparse so I took advantage of both sides, watching the little red needle on the speedometer slowly rise as I pushed the car to its limit. Gradually the cruisers fell further and further back, their cars not built for destructive speed like mine. However they were prepared for this.

I slammed on the breaks, spinning wildly before crashing parallel into a wall of evergreens. They'd set up a blockade. The glitter of metal spike danced in the headlights of at least four more cruisers, set with their doors open and being used as shields by the policemen who had their arms raised over them, hands clasped together over their pointed guns.

My body had wound up so tight my fingers punctured through the leather and hard plastic of the consol.

Screams and yells of me to 'Come out slowly with your hands up!' echoed into a mass of noise, engines running, dogs barking. And yet I heard the monster purr in a whisper.

_Dinner time_.

"No," I said, my words coming out more as a whine than an order. "I can't do it again… Please…"

_Yes you can… You must. Look at them all_.

My eyes slid towards the people like something else was controlling my body.

_So many… and their blood will all be clean, not like the last ones. You deserve a taste of fresh, untainted blood Seto…_

Suddenly there was an incredible booming crash that vibrated the road. The police had all turned to look at what had caused such a noise and I seized the chance.

I threw open the door with such force it became unhinged, skidding with sparks across the concrete, and I shot off into the woods, not looking back as I heard gunfire open or dogs unleashed.

I pushed harder and harder, but stumbled as the monster lashed at me in a fury.

_How dare you! You cannot keep running, Seto! Killing is inevitable! You need to feed_-!

"NO!" I screamed, trying to drown it out. I staggered to a stop and wanted to clap my hands over my ears. "Make it stop! Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!"

_It will stop, Seto. Blood will make it stop_-

Dog barks emitted faintly in the darkness jumped with the unmistakable crunching of feet and voices of people.

I felt as though my body was being torn in two. One foot moved to run but the other stayed firmly planet, just waiting for them to find me.

"I heard something from over here!" a man called, the beam of a flashlight illuminating the forest floor.

Languidly, I let my eyelids slip shut. _Yes… yes.. come find me_…

At that moment something hard smashed against my side, knocking me over. I rolled and landed on my feet, alarmed that I'd been caught unawares. A pale body flew at me and we collided again with a magnificently loud 'CRACK'!

I gasped for air, tasting it, smelling it, hoping to understand whom my attacker was.

My body grew numb.

The scent was sickeningly sweet, without the hints of metallic and as I listened- no heartbeat.

"N-no," I hissed in terror, backing away then turning on my heel and bursting into a sprint. No, they couldn't have found me already-!

If I'd still been human I would have been hyperventilating.

"Emmet, he's heading towards you!" an inhumanly silky voice advised from my right. I whipped my head around and snared a glint of copper.

A pair of powerful arms wrapped around me, locking my own uselessly at my side and knocking me straight off my feet.

I, and the owner of the arms, hit the ground hard, gashing a deep rut into the pine needled earth.

"Hold it now," my capture grunted, struggling to keep hold of me. "Relax, would 'ya. We're not gonna hurt you-"

I ignored him, snapping and grappling to break free. They won't take me back to Krios! I won't let them!

"What's with him?" the one above me spoke again.

I looked up and saw the streak of copper again.

"I- He's panicking," the copper haired one said, attempting help hold me down now too. "He thinks we're part of a coven led by a man named-"

I snarled viciously, throwing him off. Avoiding my slashing arm, he took hold of it by the wrist and elbow, kneeling on my shoulder to pin me. My limbs tore deep gashes into the earth. He called without looking away from me, "Carlisle!"

Another face appeared.

It was a man who looked to be in his middle twenties, blond hair swept back and expression patient if not a little sad. That, however was were his human characteristics stopped. Bone white skin and monstrous strength as he took my shoulders, firmly pinning me down. But it was his eyes that scared me the most.

They were gold.

"It's all right," he spoke softly. "We're not here to hurt you."

A strange wave of calm broke over me as I stared into those haunting eyes. Undoubtedly, they were all like me, but why were their eyes different from mine?

* * *

**lol Well hey there everybody. As you can see I'm not dead, just very very busy. I thought it was about time to polish off this chapter since I have had the majority of it written for a while now.**

**I do have to say that I'm not really a Twilight fan anymore. That fandom died out for me a long time ago- BUT! This doesn't mean I'm going to just abandon this story because of it. It might just mean less involvment from the Twilight characters and more from the Yugioh ones.**

**I also have a question for you guys, do you still like the story in first person or would anybody mind if I switched to 3rd person? I'm rather curious. My writing's evolved a lot in the past few months and I have to admit it's easier writing in 3rd lol But if you all like it in first I'll happily keep it this way. **

**Anyways I can't apologize enough for making you guys wait. Too keep up and keep this story updating I'm afraid I might have to cut back the chapters a bit, but short chapters are better than none at all right?**

**Thanks for reading~!**


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